The Academy
by snowdragonct
Summary: Sequel to Boot Camp...four juvenile delinquents enter the prestigious MSC Academy, where they'll encounter new challenges, new friends, and new enemies, as well as learn more about themselves and their own relationships.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU (sort of), yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: I decided to start off with Duo's point of view again, since "Boot Camp" began and ended with it. And for anyone looking at this who hasn't read "Boot Camp," you probably should. They'll stand alone; but the background material really will help.

* * *

THE ACADEMY

Prologue

Duo POV…

Well, here I am again. Another day; another ride on a piece of shit bus.

Okay, that's not entirely fair. It's a pretty decent public transportation bus—not like the prison buses I've had the misfortune to ride before. And this time, instead of being hauled off to detention or even boot camp, I'm on my way to the most prestigious military academy in the entire Earth sphere. I still can't believe it.

The Mobile Suit Corps Academy is as good as it gets, when it comes to training people to pilot some of the most sophisticated machinery ever constructed to preserve a very shaky peace between the colonies and the Earth. And the amazing part is that a few months ago, I was a juvenile delinquent about to be shipped off to the harshest prison on the L2 colony. Yeah, pretty surreal…which seems now to be the story of my life.

Had it not been for the Peacecraft Initiative, I would at this moment be cooling my heels in prison. Or dodging a bunch of rapists and thugs intent on having their way with a young, slender, slightly too-pretty boy with a three-foot long braid of chestnut hair. Not a pretty picture.

But I got lucky after my last juvenile conviction, and my public defender got me into a program that sent a bunch of us kids to boot camp. Those who did well enough were admitted to the MSC Academy. And, shockingly, I did well enough.

Not that I'm not smart, 'cause I am. But I've never been big on authority figures, and boot camp was chock full of 'em. Nonetheless, I graduated, and after a short trip home to L2 to take care of a little unfinished business, I'm back Earthside in time for the start of the fall semester.

I'm looking forward to the Academy for a bunch of reasons. First and foremost, it beats the hell out of prison. And then there's the added feature of it providing an education and a career. Piloting mobile suits is just awesome. We got to use a simulator at boot camp, and if that's anything like the real thing, I'm gonna be in seventh heaven. It was the biggest rush of my life up to that point.

Of course, since then I hooked up with Heero Yuy, who now is the all-time biggest rush of my life. And I can guarantee that won't ever change. Sex with him is the absolute ultimate experience—but you'll have to take my word for it, since I have no intention of ever sharing! And when I get to the Academy, he'll be there too. I haven't seen him in a month, since I went off to L2 and he had business on L1. But that'll be the reunion of a lifetime. I can hardly wait!

Don't get me wrong…I'm also looking forward to seeing the rest of my teammates.

Quatre Winner was my friend from the first day of camp, and ended up more like a brother to me. That sweet, blonde kid with a mind like a steel trap got me through a lot of emotional shit.

And Trowa Barton; well, let's just say we had our ups and downs. There was a little rivalry there. He had the hots for Quatre, and saw me as a potential obstacle. Plus, he'd never been part of a team before, and had a lot to learn about trust and teamwork. But learn it he did, eventually.

Quatre, Trowa, Heero and I made up Team Wing—the most kick-ass team at the boot camp. And we totally earned that reputation.

Not that it was easy; on the contrary, we struggled to achieve the level of closeness and trust we needed in order to _be_ the top-ranked team. There were some serious hard times for us, like when the fucked-up warden forced Trowa to sabotage one of our competitions and then pinned it on me. He nearly got to ship me off to prison that time.

Man, Tro' and I had some serious issues over that. And honestly, if Quatre hadn't been totally in love with him, I don't know that I'd ever have given Trowa the chance to win back my trust. But he did. And then he proved he deserved it by saving my life. Shit, they _all_ did. I'd want any one of my teammates at my back in a tight spot. Which totally brings me back to Heero…thinking of tight spots…

Fuck. Could this bus ride _be_ any longer?

Finally! We're pulling up to a little glass enclosure labeled "bus stop," located by a big stone arch with a sign that says "Mobile Suit Corps Academy."

"Looks like your stop, kid," the driver calls back to me.

Hefting my duffel bag over a shoulder, I stand up and shuffle my way to the front of the bus, suddenly contending with serious butterflies in my stomach.

What the hell am I doing here? This is the Academy—a place for smart, rich kids—not a street-rat like me.

All the smug confidence that I wore like a coat on the streets of L2 deserts me in a flash, and I feel a jolt of panic. It's not too late. I can just stay on the damned bus, ride it back to civilization, and hop the first shuttle back to L2—back to familiar ground and a life I know and understand.

Maybe that would be for the best. Maybe I don't belong here. I might flunk out in the first month and end up back on the streets again anyway. So if I go now, I'll just save myself the embarrassment and trouble of a dishonorable discharge.

"You gettin' off sometime this century, kid?" asks the bus driver, not unkindly. He gives a half-smile as I glance uncertainly over my shoulder. "Go on and give it a chance," he suggests.

I've been on this bus most of the day, riding from the shuttle port out to the elite training facility. The driver knows my story—or at least as much of it as I've shared in between stops and the arrival and departure of several other passengers.

"How often does the bus come all the way out here?" I ask carefully, hedging my bets in case I need a quick escape.

"Once a week," he replies, nodding towards the gate. "You head down that road, and it's about a mile to the campus itself. Good luck, kid."

I give him a genuine smile, reaching out to shake his hand. "Thanks, Gus."

Then I take a deep breath and walk down the steps and into the unknown.


	2. Reunions

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU (sort of), yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: Holy cow! I never expected such a response for the prologue! You folks definitely know how to motivate me. No pressure right? Uh-huh. Yikes. I promise I'll do my best to live up to expectations. And I trust you to let me know if I fall short, so I can improve! With that in mind, here goes…

THE ACADEMY

Chapter One: Reunions

When the bus pulled up outside the MSC Academy gate, only one person got off. He was a slender teenage boy, with a face slightly on the pretty side, but by no means girlish, and large, expressive indigo eyes. His hair was pulled back into a braid that reached to the thighs of his worn jeans. He wore a faded leather jacket over a black tee shirt with "bite me" in white letters across the front, and he carried a government-issue duffel bag and wore government-issue army boots.

Hiking the bag up over one shoulder, he started up the long driveway.

It was a gorgeous day, and the road led up a sunny hillside before winding between rows of stately oaks and maples. The bus driver had said it was a mile to the campus, and Duo decided he was actually grateful for the walk. After having been cooped up on a shuttle for several hours and then bounced around in the back of a bus for a few more, he was in dire need of a good stretch and a little exercise.

It also gave him time to calm down and steady his nerves. He had to remind himself, he had as much right to be here as anyone else did. He'd passed the tests, completed the training, and graduated with flying colors from boot camp. There was no reason he should feel undeserving of his place at the prestigious Academy; he'd earned it fair and square.

He was spared his lengthy self-examination, when he heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway behind him, and stepped off to the side to let it pass.

But instead of passing, it pulled up alongside, and screeched to a halt. "Duo! Oh, Allah, you made it!" Quatre yelped in delight, vaulting over the side of the convertible and throwing his arms around his teammate.

"Hey—Quatre!" Duo replied, hugging back and grinning over the blonde's shoulder at the auburn-haired boy behind the wheel of the car. "Trowa? You the new chauffeur, or is this _your _ride?"

Trowa smiled wryly. "It's Quatre's car, but he asked if I wanted to drive and I couldn't resist," admitted the green-eyed boy, patting the dashboard of the sleek car affectionately. "How come you didn't let us know when you were flying in? We could've picked you up at the shuttle port."

"I flew military stand-by…didn't know my arrival time until I was enroute." He shrugged carelessly. "No problem, though. I took the bus out here. Got dropped off at the gate just a few minutes ago."

"Well hop in!" Quatre urged, tugging at the duffel bag.

Duo tossed his stuff into the back seat and jumped in, sliding forward so that he was leaning on the back of the front seat between his two friends. "Are you just getting here?"

Quatre shook his head. "We got here yesterday and checked into our dormitories."

"How are they?"

"Nice," Quatre asserted. "There's kind of a common area in each dorm, with individual rooms down two hallways and upstairs. It's got a laundry area, vending machines…all kinds of conveniences."

Duo laughed aloud. "Conveniences? Quat, on L2 we'd have called those luxuries. Fuck, having a roof over your head was a luxury back there."

"How was it, going back?"

Duo shook his head. "Not so bad, since I stayed with Howard."

"And did you talk to the cops, like Captain Chang wanted?"

The braided boy nodded, smiling wryly. "Yeah—_that_ was an experience."

"What happened?"

"Well, the first cop I ran into in the station was Carpo—and we had, um, history."

Trowa chuckled at that. "So how many times had he arrested you?"

"Enough that we nicknamed him 'Crappo' on the streets," Duo smirked. "He was a thorn in the side of most of us street kids." He shook his head, snorting derisively. "He figured I couldn't possibly have a legitimate reason to be at headquarters, so he was just about to shove me against the wall and pat me down for weapons, when his captain came out to see what the fuss was about."

Trowa smiled grimly. "Shit, Maxwell. It figures you'd get into trouble."

Duo spared him a brief glare. "I didn't, Tro'. Honest. I kept my cool. I was gonna let the stupid officer get me all the way to booking if he wanted, and then flip out Chang's card and tell him to take it to his boss. But the boss got to us first. And as soon as I dropped Chang's name, he treated me like fuckin' royalty…invited me into his office and pulled up a chair for me."

"Nice change, was it?" Trowa smirked.

"Totally blew my mind." Duo reached forward to fiddle with the radio dial, looking for a good station. "Anyhow, I told 'em all about the murder I'd witnessed, and drew them a picture of the tattoo. The captain told me my story fit the evidence perfectly, and that they could probably review the case and find something solid to back it up. He was guessing K.'s brother might have kept some kind of souvenirs from his relationship with the murderer, and that if they went through the list of his belongings, they'd find something. Same thing in reverse—K.'s old partner's stuff is still in storage since his suicide."

"Suicide?" Quatre asked, eyes widening.

"Oh. I forgot—you guys didn't hear the rest of the story, did ya?" Duo flopped back in his seat. "Yeah. Come to find out, a few months after the murder, K.'s partner offed himself. They thought it was 'cause he was upset about the case—not catching the perp. Now it looks like it was because he was guilty." He shook his head. "How the hell do you kill your lover?"

Quatre glanced fondly at Trowa. "Couldn't do it in a million years," he said warmly.

"Me neither," Trowa agreed.

"God, that reminds me. Any sign of Heero yet?" Duo asked hopefully.

"We haven't seen him here on the campus," Quatre told him. "Have you heard from him since boot camp?"

"I wish!" Duo replied fervently. "Not a word. It's been a month since we touched base with each other."

"Don't you mean made a 'home run?'" Trowa teased slyly.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Your mind's as filthy as ever, Barton."

"Ditto, Maxwell."

All three boys grinned, settling into the comfortable camaraderie they'd worked so hard to achieve during their boot camp.

"Now—can we talk about more interesting stuff, like when we're gonna get to strap into a real mobile suit?" Duo suggested, draping himself over the back of the front seat again.

"Can't be soon enough," Quatre chimed in, smiling and running a hand back through his silky blonde hair. "I guess it depends on how well we do with our training."

As they went through a second gate that brought them onto the main campus of the Academy, Duo's eyes widened in awe.

"Holy fucking shit," he murmured under his breath, gaping at the sight of the rows of stately buildings. He felt that recurrent urge to tuck his tail between his legs and run back to L2.

"It's a lot less intimidating once you get a map and can find your way around," Quatre promised.

"Is that hangar at the end of the field there for mobile suits?" Duo asked, pointing to a long, domed structure.

"Yeah," Quatre replied in an awed voice. "Supposedly we'll get a tour of the place during the first week of training. We'll get to see the latest suit designs and everything!"

The boy from L2 leaned back against the seat, taking a deep breath. "Un-fucking-believable," he sighed. "All I need's Yuy back in my arms, and life will be perfect."

Trowa gave a wry snort, and Quatre smiled warmly. "He's probably here already. But we haven't seen Captain Chang, so we can't be sure."

Duo's indigo eyes lit with amusement. "Yeah, I gotta look up my dear foster dad and make sure he brought Heero back all in one piece." He squirmed a little on the seat, picturing his lover's intense blue eyes and the messy hair across his face…the way he smirked just before he leaned in to steal a kiss. God, he missed him! "Where do I have to go to check in, anyway?"

"I'll take you!" Quatre volunteered, as they pulled up outside a building that was bustling with activity.

People were entering and leaving the administration building in a steady stream, paperwork in hand. A few gave the three boys in the convertible a brief glance, and then one broke away to jog over.

"Maxwell? Barton—Winner!"

"Ben!" Duo hopped out of the car, grabbing the newcomer's hand and shaking it firmly. "Good t'see you. Any of the old gang with you?"

"Adam and Troy are at the mess hall having lunch, and I saw Austin and Jase this morning."

"Austin and Jase, as in—together?" Duo asked with a smirk, trying to quell a wisp of jealousy that the boy who'd had a crush on him in boot camp had moved on.

Ben nodded. "Speaking of which, where's your pal Yuy?"

Duo shrugged, his glance sweeping the busy courtyard. "Haven't seen him yet. But I just got here. Quat and Tro' found me walking up from the bus stop."

Quatre had joined Duo on the sidewalk, while Trowa drove off to park the car. "Lucky we were just coming back from town, or you'd have had a pretty long walk."

"Not so bad," shrugged his friend, hefting his duffel bag and looking towards the brick building in front of them. "Is that where I'm supposed to go?"

"Yeah," Ben told him. "You check in at the admin desk, and they'll give you a packet of information with your room assignment, meal schedule, and course load." He smiled happily. "Can't wait to see you guys around campus…at classes and stuff. If I see Jase again, I'll tell him you were asking about him, Duo." He winked slyly and walked off.

"So long as he doesn't tell Heero you were asking about Jase," Quatre mumbled rather uneasily.

Duo gave him a dauntless grin. "Heero knows I'm all his, Quat. An' if he's got any doubts at all, I'll lay 'em to rest the minute I get my hands on that boy…and a little privacy."

"Agh! Too much information!" Quatre lamented, pretending to clap his hands over his ears.

They started walking towards the office. "Speaking of that," Duo said with a sly sideways glance. "How're things with you and acrobat-boy?"

"Wonderful," came the wistful reply. Quatre gave his friend a long look. "I picked him up a week ago and we drove all the way out here together. It's been great."

"You tell your dad about you and Trowa yet?"

"Not yet," admitted the blonde, ducking his head rather sheepishly. "You'd think the number of times we talked on the phone would've been a dead giveaway; but my father's trying to pretend I'm not gay, so he conveniently overlooked it."

"Did he know you were picking Tro' up for your little road trip?"

"Again—he didn't ask too many questions. He doesn't really want the answers." Quatre shrugged. "Maybe he's hoping I'll outgrow it."

Duo laughed at that, shaking his head. "Sorry 'bout that shit. But hey, you got all that time with just you and Trowa…lucky sonofabitch."

"Well maybe my luck's contagious. You've got Heero, a clean record, and an education for the taking." Quatre grinned widely. "I'd say we're all four pretty lucky."

Duo hung onto that thought as he checked in at the main desk and was given instructions on where to proceed. When he turned back to Quatre with his folder of information, the blonde smiled reassuringly. "I should probably leave you here to get squared away," he suggested. "It takes awhile. Trowa and I can meet you at your dorm in an hour or so and take you on a tour of the campus."

The braided boy frowned slightly. "Y'mean, we're not in the same dorm?"

"Probably not," Quatre replied. "It's done alphabetically, I think."

Duo scowled at that. "What about the teams we had back in boot camp? Aren't we gonna be together any more?"

"Sure we will," Quatre assured him. "Just—they don't have teams like we did at Camp Peacecraft. It's more like a regular college campus…only with military training."

"Oh." Duo tried to quash a tiny upwelling of discontent at the thought of not rooming with his friends from boot camp.

Quatre clapped him encouragingly on the back. "Don't worry about it. Trowa and I will hang out near the dorms until you get there. We'll watch for you."

"Sure. Thanks." Duo walked away, looking around him a bit uneasily as his street instincts kicked in. It happened every time he was in a new place—a new situation. He scanned faces as well as his surroundings, trying to determine potential threats, noting escape routes, and getting a feel for the place in general.

"Hey, Maxwell!"

Duo turned around sharply, to see Corporal Carter leaning in the doorway.

"Carter? Hey, how ya been?"

The former liaison officer walked over to shake Duo's hand. "I've been fine. Did you forget you'd see me here? I help teach weapons classes."

"So all the liaison guys will be here," guessed the braided boy. "Y'know, it just didn't sink in. I thought you'd be working with a new group of recruits."

"I will be. Next summer. They've decided to save the boot camp program for a yearly group of recruits." He gave a rather conspiratorial smile. "I think it'll take them that long to find as promising a bunch as you guys were."

"Aw, love ya too, Carter," smirked Duo. "So, you wanna point me in the right direction here? This place is huge."

"Sure. Matter of fact, I'll go along with you."

They headed down the hallway, and Duo was surprised at the number of students who greeted the soldier walking with him. "Does everybody here know you?"

"All the sophomores, at least," replied Carter. "Like I said, I help with freshman weapons classes."

"So I'll have you for a teacher."

Carter shook his head. "Actually, all you kids from camp are starting with sophomore courses. Boot camp covered the freshman curriculum and then some. Add that to your simulator scores, and at least half the kids who passed Peacecraft got shoved into the accelerated training program."

"Meaning?"

"You'll have some regular sophomore classes, a few advanced classes, and immediate placement in the mobile suit piloting program."

Duo didn't know whether to be glad or terrified. While their trainers' faith in the recruits was flattering, it was also daunting to be thrust into what was sure to be an extremely challenging training regimen.

Carter nudged him with an elbow. "You'll do fine, kid. I've seen you in action."

Duo smiled wanly as they stopped by a door labeled "admissions." "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Carter. I hope I don't screw up too badly."

"Maxwell, after the undercover ops you and your teammates pulled? You've got nothing to worry about."

"Thanks," came the genuinely grateful reply, as Duo felt some of his unease slip away. "See you around campus then?"

"You betcha." The corporal slapped him on the back of the shoulder, opening the door and gesturing him in. "So long, kid."

Duo entered the office, taking his place in the line at the main desk and dropping his duffel bag with a thud.

A boy in front of him turned to look, and his eyes widened as they traveled the length of the chestnut braid.

Duo narrowed his eyes just slightly, but pasted on a polite smile. "Duo Maxwell," he said, holding out a hand with more confidence than he felt.

The other boy took it with a suggestion of a smile. "Rev Archer." His hazel eyes again took in the worn jacket and the long hair. "You new here?"

"Kinda," Duo replied noncommittally. He tilted his head questioningly. "Gonna tell me there's a regulation for haircuts?"

"Uh—not that I know of," replied Rev. "But I guess you'll find out."

Duo's next smile was less guarded. "Already have. Major Merquise and Captain Chang okayed the hair."

The other boy's look became skeptical. "You've met Merquise?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Uh, not that I'm callin' you a liar or anything, but the Major's kind of legendary around here. Hardly anyone's actually met him face to face."

"Well I have. And frankly, it'd be pretty hypocritical of him to tell me to get a haircut," Duo asserted.

Rev laughed at that. "Yeah, I s'pose it would." He glanced past Duo as a group of boys stepped into line behind them, and the boy from L2 followed his gaze.

The newcomers were joking among themselves and appeared to be a close-knit bunch of friends. The apparent leader, a dark-haired boy with a rectangular face and square jaw caught sight of Rev and Duo and gave a slight sneer.

"Archer."

"Darlian."

"Who's your friend?"

"We just met. He's—."

"Duo Maxwell," Duo cut in, preferring to make his own introductions—and fight his own battles. He hadn't been through the juvenile justice system for nothing; he could read belligerence all over the newcomer. So he straightened slightly, donned his most forbidding expression, and put a hand on his hip. "You want to introduce yourself, or just get right into it?"

The other boy stiffened, his expression turning wary. "Listen, you little punk freshman…before you get mouthy, maybe you want to know who's who around here."

"Oh believe me, I do," Duo said earnestly. "Rev introduced himself already. As for the rest of you, I can already tell you aren't anybody I care to know."

"I'm Reginald Darlian."

"_Reginald_?" Duo blurted, unable to contain a laugh. "Well that explains everything."

"Huh?"

"With a name like that, no wonder you go around picking fights." Duo heard a muffled snicker from Rev, but he kept his attention focused on Reginald, who clearly was used to being the top of some sort of pecking order. "Look—I got no beef with you, _Reginald_. I just wanna get checked in and meet some friends at my dorm. So how 'bout you just leave Rev and me alone for now, hm?"

"You—."

The other boy's retort was interrupted when the secretary at the desk called for the next person in line. Rev moved up to check in, and Duo angled into a position where any action on Reginald's part would be clearly visible to the uniformed woman.

Rev turned his head almost unobtrusively towards Duo. "You might not want to antagonize Reggie and his pals," he muttered under his breath. "They're on the football team—big shot jocks, y'know."

"Big deal," yawned Duo, leaning on the counter beside Rev. "I've seen dozens like him. All talk. No guts."

"Yeah, but he's got numbers."

"So do I," Duo smirked. "If you feel like hanging around after check-in you can meet my friends."

Rev smiled, looking down at the counter. "Thanks for the offer. But for now I think I should stay on neutral ground." He glanced sideways at the braided boy. "You're anything but neutral, Maxwell."

"Well, it was nice to meet you anyway."

Rev took his paperwork, thanked the secretary, and then left without a backward glance, while Duo took his place at the desk.

"Your name?" asked the woman, raising a disinterested look.

"Duo Maxwell."

She scanned her clipboard, and then flipped a page, blinking in surprise before looking up. "You're in the Northeast Quadrangle…your dormitory is Mercury." She pulled a thick folder from a pile on her desk. "Your advisor is Lieutenant Wolfe."

Duo grinned at the familiar name, feeling renewed confidence. "Does your little clipboard list who else is in the same dorm?"

"My list is alphabetical by name."

"Oh." On sudden inspiration, Duo gave her a hopeful smile. "D'you know if Heero Yuy has checked in?"

She gave him a dispassionate look. "I'd have to check over two days worth of listings, Mister Maxwell. I'd suggest you just watch for your friend at the mess hall. Everyone ends up there sooner or later." She placed a list atop his folder. "There's everything you need to do to check in…pick up uniforms, stop by the med-center and see Doctor Po, and get your books. Here's the key to your dorm room."

Before Duo could try turning on the charm to get her to look up Heero's name, she shoved the packet of information into his hands and called for the next person in line.

Sighing, Duo turned away and picked up his duffel bag, sparing a single assessing look at Reginald, who was still glowering from among the safety of his friends. But fortunately for the pushy jock, Duo wasn't in the mood for a fight, and merely sauntered past him and out the door.

Quatre had been right; it took Duo almost an hour to go from collecting his uniforms to checking in with Doctor Po and finally picking up his books. By the time he found his way to the Northeast Quadrangle, he wanted nothing more than to locate his room and collapse for a few hours.

The quadrangle was comprised of six dormitories, forming a rectangle shape around a green. There were plantings and walkways through the green, creating an almost park-like atmosphere, with stone benches and even a fountain.

Duo grinned at the sight of the bubbling water, recalling Carter's prank and wondering how it might be improved on in the future.

"Hey, you made it!" Quatre came jogging over from where he and Trowa had been sitting in the shade. "Got everything?"

"God, yes," Duo sighed wearily. "It's worse than prison orientation for crying out loud!" He hefted his duffel bag, which was considerably heavier now that it was filled with uniforms and books.

"What dorm are you in?"

"Mercury."

Trowa had sauntered up behind Quatre, and gestured across to one of the buildings. "That'd be the one. I'm in Saturn and Quatre's in Mars."

Duo looked a little crestfallen at that. "I don't suppose we can request a change, can we?"

Quatre shrugged. "Between my family name, and you being Chang's ward, maybe we could pull some strings."

"Right," came the skeptical snort. "I think Chang probably planned it this way—keep us from getting together in the evenings and plotting."

"You haven't eaten lately, have you?" Quatre asked, grabbing Trowa's wrist as the auburn-haired boy started to reach in a pocket for a dog biscuit. "_Real _food, Trowa! Not Nanashi's leftovers."

"Hey, how's my favorite mutt, anyway?" teased Duo.

"Healthy as a horse," replied Trowa, smiling fondly. "You've seriously got to come to the circus and see him perform when we get a long weekend from this place."

"Sounds great."

"Getting back to the point," Quatre grumbled. "Why don't you go dump your stuff in your room and meet us back here in fifteen minutes, Duo? We can go to the mess hall and then take a walk around the campus before dark."

Duo nodded, fighting back his fatigue. "Sure, Quat. Be back in a flash."

He lugged his heavy bag across the quadrangle to the building Trowa had indicated, once again gaping in astonishment as he entered the foyer.

The dorm was an old building, but had been refurbished into a very cozy habitat. There was an entryway that led into a common area, with several couches and chairs for students to relax in. To the right and left were stairways leading up to a second story lined with individual rooms. Straight ahead was a laundry area and a small kitchen, and hallways led off to both sides for more rooms.

Rev was standing talking to another boy when Duo walked in, and he gave a wry smile. "We meet again, Maxwell."

"So we're dorm-mates?" asked Duo.

"Naw, I was just visiting Coop." Rev gestured to the boy standing with him. "Cooper Martin…meet Duo Maxwell."

Both boys nodded a greeting, and Duo jerked a thumb in the direction of the stairs. "So is room two upstairs or down?"

"Ah—that hallway there," replied Cooper, gesturing to the right. "Last room on the left. You got a corner room, ya lucky stiff."

"'Bout time my luck got good," Duo said firmly. "See you two around—I gotta dump my stuff and meet Quat and Tro' to go get some chow." He breezed past his two new acquaintances and hauled his duffel bag down the hallway, reflecting that lucky or not, the corner room was a long way down the hall.

When he got to his room, he sighed, opening the door and stepping inside, dropping his duffel bag with a thump. "Home, sweet home."

Then a pair of strong arms circled him from behind, and he automatically began to struggle, cursing aloud. But before he could break free, he was spun around and slammed into the wall, and lips covered his in a forceful, demanding kiss, while hands with a grip like steel pinned his wrists to the wall on either side of his head.

He started to go for a knee to his attacker's groin, but his startled gasp had allowed his attacker's tongue into his mouth in a deep, passionate—and vaguely familiar kiss.

_Wait—I know the smell of that shampoo…_

His knees went weak at the relentless onslaught, and he kissed back hard, pushing back against his assailant, who then maneuvered his hands over his head, pinning them with one hand while the other dropped to the front of his pants to stroke him through the fabric, making him moan into the kiss.

When the other person pulled back, finally allowing Duo to gasp for air, he found himself looking into amused blue eyes.

"God, Yuy—give a guy a heart attack, why doncha?" he said breathlessly, his voice husky.

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind," came the low, sexy reply.

"Ah…I see. Let me lock the door, lover," Duo whispered. "An' then you can have your way with—aw, fuck!" Duo was tempted to bang his head against the wall. "You've got the worst fucking timing ever! I've gotta meet Quatre and Trowa in a few minutes, 'Ro."

"_Now?_" Heero demanded, almost panting with desire.

Duo nodded. "I was just s'posed to drop my stuff off and get right back out to the quad." He slid his arms around Heero's waist, pulling him close again. "Damn it, 'Ro. Where've you been, anyway?"

"Chang and I only arrived this morning," Heero told him, gradually regaining his calm exterior. "I got my things, and then had a meeting with Merquise and him." A vaguely smug look settled on his face. "Wait'll you _see _the suits we're gonna pilot."

"How come you got a private showing? Teacher's pet?" Duo teased.

"Education coordinator's childhood buddy," Heero corrected meticulously. He ran light fingers through Duo's hair. "You're the teacher's pet, Duo. Chang wants to see you as soon as possible and hear how it went on L2."

Duo leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and nearly purring with pleasure at the feeling of strong fingers stroking his hair and cheek. "Can you come back here tonight?" he asked hopefully. "Or do they do bed checks here, too?"

Heero smiled enigmatically. "I _told _you, Maxwell. There's a lot more freedom at the Academy than we had in boot camp. There are no babysitters or guards or wardens…just teachers and officers. I can spend the night anywhere I want."

Indigo eyes looked pleadingly at him. "Where d'you _want _to spend the night?"

"Didn't I promise you all night and a real bed?" Heero chided, his expression softening. "I think we can find both right here, can't we?"

"Damn straight!" Duo pulled Heero in for a searing kiss, and then pulled back just enough to talk. "Let's go meet the others and get food. You're gonna need your strength tonight, Yuy."

Heero grinned dauntlessly. "Mission accepted."


	3. Settling In

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU (sort of), yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: Seems to be off to a slow start, but there will be more action in upcoming chapters, promise!

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Two: Settling In

When Duo showed up in the quadrangle with Heero in tow, Quatre and Trowa both lit up with delight, shaking hands and clapping their team leader on the back.

"How long have you been here?" Quatre demanded.

"Just since this morning. Chang and I flew in on the MSC private jet."

"_So _not fair," Duo muttered, having already heard about it while he and Heero were hastily getting his books and clothes put away in the dorm. But the joy of having his lover back within reach vastly overshadowed the twinge of jealousy he felt at the royal treatment he'd gotten.

"And did you settle everything on L1?"

Heero nodded. "There wasn't all that much to it, really. But it was far better for Wufei to deal with the authorities there than me." He shook his head. "I really don't understand how so many of his coworkers knew so little about the real Odin Lowe."

Duo's face darkened at the reference to Heero's abusive guardian, and he draped a reassuring arm across his lover's shoulders. "So they're as big a bunch of assholes as he was. Let's forget all that shit and find the mess hall."

The four boys set off across the campus, trading stories of where they'd been for the month between boot camp and the Academy, and by the time they reached their destination, it was as if Team Wing had never parted company.

"Whoa." Duo stopped just inside the door, looking around the dining hall at the vaulted ceiling, tall windows, and tables with actual centerpieces. "Holy shit." He glanced at Trowa for reassurance, knowing Heero and Quatre were both more accustomed to luxurious surroundings than he and the boy from the circus.

"Y'got that right," Trowa agreed. "This is just—impressive."

"Wait'll you taste the food!" Quatre chirped happily. "It's excellent, Duo. Probably better than you've ever had."

"Probably?" snorted the other boy.

"Okay. Definitely. C'mon." Quatre tugged Duo after him into the chow line.

Heero smirked at the sight of the two close pals reunited. "Like brothers," he said with a shake of his head.

"Yeah," Trowa agreed, falling easily back into his role as Heero's sidekick. "I almost envy them that. They can say anything to each other—talk about anything. I'd like to have someone I was that comfortable around."

Heero gave him a sidelong look, and raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly. "But, Trowa, you've got me."

Trowa snorted with laughter, and Heero joined him.

"Hey, hey…what's up?" Duo asked, having jogged back over to drag them along. "C'mon and get some food, guys! You can laugh it up later, on a full stomach."

They followed him to the line, and Trowa glanced back over his shoulder at Heero. "Y'know, Yuy, you're right. I _do _have you," he admitted with a smile.

Duo glanced between them suspiciously. "Hey, hands _off_, Barton. Yuy's mine. _All _mine."

Trowa ignored the hint of jealousy, and smiled benevolently. "As a friend, Maxwell. Yuy and I were commenting on how close you and Quatre are, and we decided we've got each other to be pals with when you two go off together."

"Where're we gonna go off to?" Duo wondered.

"For starters, the chow line. And then, who knows? You two just seem to find problems to dive headfirst into."

Quatre looked at his boyfriend with a sly smile. "Why d'you say that? Just because of the shoe incident with Team Chase…and the playacting we did for K.?"

"I think the whole 'fake escape' debacle was your idea, too," Trowa reminded him. "And then there was the anklet chain…and who thought up the pepper bombs, anyway?"

Duo had grabbed a plate and was poking through a stack of meat looking for the juiciest piece. "Guilty!" he sang out with a grin. "The pepper was all me, Tro'. Your little blonde angel was completely in the clear on that one."

"Well, it _was_ my idea to drop them down the chimney," Quatre pointed out.

"If I didn't know better, Winner, I'd think you take delight in thinking up sinister plots," Heero said dryly, sidling up beside Duo and snatching the fork out of his hand. "Here, Maxwell…take this one." He plopped a thick piece of meat on his boyfriend's plate and speared one for himself, then nudged Duo ahead in the line.

"Too many choices," Duo sighed, trying to figure out which vegetables he'd had before and liked.

Despite the multitude of choices before them, the boys finally made their way through the line, and headed for a table.

"Hey—there's Adam and Troy," Duo pointed out. "An' I think that's Richie over there." He caught sight of one unwelcome face in the crowd. "Oh, and _Reginald_."

"Who the hell's Reginald?" Heero asked with a scowl, following his gaze.

"Some football star or something," Duo explained, plunking down at the first empty table he found.

"How d'you know him?"

"I don't. And I don't want to. He was at the registration office when I met Rev."

"And who's Rev?" Heero demanded, eyebrows raised. "How many people have you met here already, Maxwell?"

"Three besides you guys," Duo shrugged. "Rev was the first. I met him in line. And then _Reginald-_fucking-Darlian showed up with his little groupies and got unpleasant. No biggie. I've handled way worse bullies than him."

"Darlian?" Heero asked, darting a sharp look over at the football player.

"Yeah."

"Fuck."

Duo half-turned on his seat, his attention drifting from his food to his lover. "Why?"

"He's Relena's cousin," Heero muttered grimly, picking up his fork and turning his glower back to his food.

"Well, shit," Duo sighed. "Sure it's not some other Darlian family?"

Heero's derisive snort was answer enough.

"Charm and tact must run in their family, eh?" Trowa deadpanned, never taking his gaze from his plate as he methodically ate his meal.

Quatre and Duo both snickered, and the blonde shook his head. "Funny how you took an instant dislike to him even before you knew who he was."

"I'm an excellent judge of character," Duo said firmly. "Have to be, on the street, or you'll get fucked over every time…literally _and _figuratively."

"So what's your take on Reginald?" Quatre inquired.

"A jock…real popular, with a particular crowd…used to having the girls fall all over him and the guys fawn at his feet," Duo elaborated. "I think _he _thinks he's pretty influential around here."

"He probably is, with the name Darlian behind him," Quatre pointed out. But a sly smile crossed the beatific face. "Unfortunately for him, the name Winner packs twice the punch."

"God, I love you Quat," Duo said earnestly. "We gonna have some fun with the football geek, are we?"

"You," Heero said sternly, "are going to be far too busy with studies, training, and me, Maxwell."

Duo eyed him warily. "All work and no play, Yuy?"

Heero looked up from under his lashes. "I said 'and me,' didn't I?"

"Oh, yeah." Duo glanced warily around the room, sliding a little closer. "I s'pose public displays of affection are just right out the window in a place like this, eh Yuy?"

"Probably not a great idea, even if we aren't in uniform yet."

Duo sighed. "I s'pose I can wait until I sneak you into my room, love," he muttered under his breath. "But then you're gonna have to show me what you meant by 'and me.'"

"Love to."

They finished their meal and set out on a stroll around the campus, scoping out the athletic fields, academic buildings, campus store, and an obstacle course that put their boot camp one to shame.

"Aw, obstacles," Duo crooned, eyes lighting up. "I hope we get to play here soon."

Heero just shook his head. "Careful what you wish for, Maxwell."

"Heh…last time I wished for something, it was you," Duo pointed out. "Y'gonna tell me that was a bad idea?"

"Never."

"Didn't think so." Duo eyed the cable that led from a tall tower down to a deep water obstacle. "I hope it's nice and hot the first time we have to take a dip in that," he mused.

"Won't matter to the alligators in it," teased Trowa.

"There are no alligators!" Duo retorted, glaring. "Are there?" He eyed the murky water suspiciously, and then shook his head. "Barton, you're full of shit."

"Well, duh," chided the boy from L3. "Man, Maxwell, I thought you were quicker than that."

"Wait'll we're doing obstacles again and you'll see how quick I am."

"Right now we should probably head back to the barra—dorms," Heero suggested, catching himself and correcting his terminology.

Quatre smiled. "Got used to Camp Peacecraft, didn't you?" he guessed. "Me too. I keep waiting for Chang's troops to call us to assembly or something."

"What's on the agenda for tomorrow anyway?" Duo asked, yawning and leaning slightly into Heero as they walked.

"Breakfast at 07:00 and then there's a campus-wide assembly at the auditorium," Heero recited from memory. "I imagine they'll tell us a bit more about the curriculum then."

"And when do we start classes?"

"Didn't you even read the handouts?" Heero asked in exasperation.

"When?" challenged Duo, scowling at him. "I got my stuff back to my dorm, got jumped by you, and then we went to eat and take our little walking tour. I haven't even had a chance to take a shower—an' after seven hours in a shuttle and six more in a bus, I really need one."

Heero didn't answer right away, picturing Duo in the shower and what they could do to each other there.

"Yuy?" When the former team leader didn't snap out of his daydream, Quatre cleared his throat loudly. "Yuy!"

"Huh?"

"Stop thinking about Duo and showers and tell us what dorm you're in," he suggested with a knowing smirk.

Heero blushed and scowled to cover it. "Mars."

"Yes!" Quatre cheered. "So am I." He elbowed Duo, who was now staring at Heero and picturing _him _in the shower. "See? My alphabetical theory was right. Yuy and Winner are at the end of the alphabet. Trowa has Jase in his dorm…Barton and Carroll."

"So maybe Austin will be in Mercury," Duo guessed, his pleasant daydream interrupted. "What dorm is yours again, Trowa?"

"Saturn."

"You mean out of all of us only two get to share a dorm?" Duo lamented. "That's just—wrong."

"It's a whole new setup here," Heero pointed out. "We aren't Team Wing any more."

"We'll always be Team Wing!" Duo said fiercely, turning his face away.

"We sure will," Quatre said soothingly. "Nothing can take that away."

* * *

It was almost dark by the time they got back to the Northeast Quadrangle. At least all four of the former teammates were in neighboring dormitories, a fact for which they were grateful. 

"You want to come see my room?" Quatre asked Duo when they paused by the fountain to split up for the night.

"Rain check for tomorrow?" Duo begged, stifling another yawn. "I'm totally wiped out, buddy. I need a shower and to crash on the nearest horizontal surface."

Heero gave him a vaguely troubled look. "I'll walk you to your room," he offered.

Trowa gave a slight snort. "Like he'll get any sleep tonight," he muttered, taking Quatre by the arm. "C'mon, Winner. I'd love to see your room. Again."

They split up and Heero walked alongside Duo to the Mercury dormitory, ushering him inside and walking him down the hall to his room. "Maybe I should let you rest," he suggested as Duo fumbled for his key and unlocked the door.

Duo looked up sharply. "Hey—I didn't mean I was too tired for—well, for _you_." He blinked rather owlishly, his lids seeming just a little too heavy for his eyes.

Heero merely smiled patiently. "It's okay. You've had a long day."

Duo pressed up against Heero, sliding his arms around his neck and tracing his jaw with teasing kisses. "Never too tired for you, lover," he crooned gently. Then he turned his face aside to hide another near-yawn.

"You're exhausted," Heero asserted. "How 'bout I stay here while you take a shower and make sure you don't fall asleep before you make it to bed?"

Duo tugged at his hand, taking a step back into the room. "How 'bout you _help _me take a shower and then escort me to bed…and stay the night?"

"Not a good idea," Heero said with the faintest hint of a smirk, glancing over Duo's shoulder.

"Why not?"

From a chair in the corner of the room a disturbingly familiar voice answered his question. "Because if he does, Maxwell, I'll have to ground you for the next six months," Wufei said dryly.

Duo spun around guiltily, fumbling for the light switch on the wall and gaping at his guardian when he finally flooded the room with light. "Chang? Shit, what's with everyone giving me heart failure today?"

Wufei got up, smirking in satisfaction. "Well if you've got a weak heart, mobile suit piloting isn't the career for you."

"Very funny." Duo leaned back against Heero, crossing his arms and regarding the Captain warily. "So, does everyone in this place have a key to my room, or what?"

"I got in the window," Heero shrugged, jerking a thumb towards the slightly ajar pane.

"What about you, Chang?" Duo asked rather snidely. "I thought breaking and entering was _my _forte, not yours."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Wufei shrugged. But then he pulled a key from his pocket. "Master key. I signed it out for the day, figuring if I couldn't locate you all over campus, I could at least wait here to greet you. Rest assured, it goes back into safekeeping with the security staff when I finish."

"Missed me?" Duo teased, smirking in satisfaction as Heero wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, not bothering to ask permission from Duo's protective guardian.

"Very much," admitted the officer. "Though not nearly as badly as Yuy did."

"Well, duh," Duo shrugged.

"He talked of nothing else on the seemingly eternal shuttle ride back from L1," Wufei drawled snidely.

"Yeah, well, I'll bet you were all wrapped up in thoughts of your big, blonde badass Major," Duo teased.

Sure enough a faint trace of color crept into Wufei's cheeks. But other than that, he didn't show a reaction. "Tell me about L2," he ordered rather curtly. "How did that go?"

Duo sobered, walking over and plunking down on the edge of his bed, glancing up as Heero joined him, placing a reassuring hand over one of his. "It was probably a good thing you'd talked to Captain Warren ahead of time. One of the officers that saw me at the station figured I was up to no good and started to hassle me. But then Warren showed up and set him straight, took my statement, thanked me for coming in, and sent me on my way." He gave a shrug. "It went fine."

"Good." Wufei looked genuinely relieved, and Duo narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You were really worried about me, weren't you?"

"We both were," Heero told him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Yeah, love ya, too," Duo smirked, yawning again. "Listen…as much as I love reunions, I really need that shower we keep talking about. Where the heck do I find the facilities?"

Wufei raised an eyebrow, gesturing over his shoulder to what Duo had thought was a closet. "You've got your own bathroom, Maxwell. No sharing here."

The boy's eyes widened. "This place just keeps getting better and better…good food, my own room, and now a bathroom I don't have to share with fifty other guys? I'd ask you to pinch me, but I don't trust either one of you not to!" He stood up and padded over to the door, peeking in and flipping on the light switch. "Wow. Nice."

Heero and Wufei exchanged a long look.

"Go ahead, Duo," Heero urged. "I'll wait."

"_We'll _wait," Wufei added with a perfectly deadly smile.

Duo sighed deeply, walking over to the duffel bag he'd unceremoniously dumped in the room earlier, and fishing out his shampoo and other toiletries, as well as a couple of towels. He glanced at Heero. "Don't suppose you wanna make the bed for me while I get cleaned up?" He nodded towards the sheets, blankets and pillow that were neatly stacked on the mattress.

"Sure I will," Heero said with a small, warm smile. "And maybe Chang will even let me kiss you goodnight before we leave."

"He better," Duo said, darting a narrow look at his guardian. "Or I'll just have to sneak over to Mars tonight and steal that kiss."

Wufei waved a hand dismissively. "Hurry up, Maxwell. I've got other places to be."

"Don't let us keep you," suggested Duo.

"I wouldn't, except that I want to see Yuy back to his dorm before I go."

"Mother hen," Duo accused sourly, clutching his stuff and stalking into the bathroom, closing the door with a thud.

Heero smiled indulgently. "He hasn't changed," he said with a fond tone to his voice.

"Did you expect him to?" Wufei countered. "You were only apart for a month."

"Yes, but he went back to L2 for that month," Heero said, frowning.

"What did you think—that he'd go back to the gang he used to run with? Back to the streets he worked so hard to win his way free from?"

"I—wasn't sure," Heero admitted. "That life was all he ever knew before boot camp. I imagine there was a certain—pull—towards familiar ground."

The MSC officer snorted wryly. "That's nothing compared to his 'pull' towards you, and you know it."

Again Heero smiled. "Yeah," he said rather disbelievingly.

He got up and began to carry out the promised task of making up Duo's bed for his braided lover, taking great pains to smooth the sheets and fluff the pillow. Wufei watched him for a while, with a bemused smile on the stern face, and then turned his gaze towards the closed door, listening to the faint sound of running water and some off-key singing.

He smirked irrepressibly, shaking his head. "I'll tell you something else, Yuy. Even if you weren't part of the equation, I don't think Maxwell would give this up. Did you see his face when he realized he had his own room _and_ a private bathroom?"

Heero sobered at that. "Yes, I did." A faint scowl creased his forehead. "God, I hate thinking of him growing up on the streets, Wufei. He's bright, talented, curious…he deserved so much better."

"And now he has it," Captain Chang reminded his friend. "And I fully intend to see that he never loses it." His face settled into a mask of resolve. "The whole point of the Peacecraft Initiative was to take kids who'd been stuck in the juvenile justice system, weed out the truly reprehensible ones, and give the rest an opportunity for a better life. Using the Mobile Suit Corps as the catalyst and the reward was a stroke of genius on the part of the Board of Directors."

"I think putting you in charge of the trial run for the program was an even better idea," Heero pointed out. "You drew out qualities in every recruit, myself included, that no one had ever seen before." He shook his head. "Who'd have thought I'd become a team leader? I always worked better alone before."

"I didn't _think _you had leadership potential. I _knew _it," said Wufei firmly.

"And when did you recognize Duo's potential?"

The onyx eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That took a little longer. Despite his superb test scores in the preliminary screening, he had a rebellious nature that made it hard to see how incredibly talented he could be as a soldier."

Heero chuckled quietly, clearly recalling Duo's defiance during their first few encounters. "Talk about an understatement—."

"But he _will_ be an excellent soldier," Wufei asserted.

"So long as it keeps him from ever needing to live on the streets again, I'm all for it," Heero agreed. He gave his long-time friend a steady look. "I'll never let him go back to that."

"I know," Wufei acknowledged. "Neither will I." He shifted slightly on the chair he was seated in. "Now—moving on to other things—I spoke to several of my instructors today, and heard a rather disquieting rumor that there's some resistance to the presence of former juvenile offenders here at the Academy. I don't know if it originates with students or their parents—but apparently some of the returning cadets are talking about opposing the boot camp program."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Can they do that?"

Wufei gave a casual shrug. "According to the law? No. According to MSC policy? Definitely not. But in reality—who knows?" He leaned forward, his dark eyes intent. "Every boy at this school who came through Camp Peacecraft was given a clean slate the day of graduation. All criminal records were expunged. However, word of mouth can be a dangerous information source, and if any of you let slip the facts of your past—."

"I see," Heero said quickly. "So we're to keep our mouths shut about Peacecraft?"

"It would be advisable," Wufei admitted. "At least for now. Major Merquise will be making an announcement at tomorrow's orientation that anyone who spreads rumors about who might or might not have come through the boot camp program will face severe disciplinary procedures, if not expulsion. That should put a stop to it." He sat back, glancing rather restlessly towards the bathroom door. "Furthermore, since a rather substantial percentage of freshman wash out of our program, and we get transfers in from other training programs, there will be no way for anyone to ascertain which way another student got in. The sophomore class is a pretty mixed bag, and probably only about half of them are returning cadets…so you can all blend in as well as you choose to."

"I'll pass the word," Heero assured him.

"I've spoken to Pritchard, Carroll, Strom, and a few others," the Captain told him. "But I'd like you to make sure your former teammates get the message."

"They won't like it," Heero predicted with a scowl. He knew _he_ didn't.

The boys who'd gone through the boot camp program had earned their way into the prestigious Academy by working hard and achieving superior scores in academics, physical training, and mobile suit aptitude. The standards had been exacting; and each and every graduate had excelled. They didn't need to be faced with petty resistance at this point.

"I don't like it any better than you do," Wufei said perceptively. "And rest assured, we _will _ferret out the culprits who start any trouble, and get rid of them. This is a military academy—not a prep school. Money holds no sway here. Only intelligence, hard work, and dedication count for anything with Major Merquise and myself."

"I know," Heero said with a rather wan smile. "I've known that about you since we were kids. Why d'you think we've been friends so long?"

Wufei smiled back. "Because you're every bit as dedicated to excellence as I am."

The bathroom door opened in a cloud of steam, and Duo walked out in clean sweats, with his long hair wrapped up in a towel. "God, Yuy, that was wonderful!" he sighed, bouncing over to plunk down on the bed next to his lover. His indigo eyes were alight as he looked over at Captain Chang. "This place is awesome."

"I'm glad you like it," came the dry response.

Duo sobered. "Seriously, sir," he said firmly, lapsing into using the respectful term they'd cultivated in boot camp. "I've got a warm, dry place to sleep—good food—." His gaze drifted to the door he'd just come out of. "A fuckin' private shower," he said in a nearly awed voice, shaking his head. "And mobile suits!" He turned that intense gaze back to the officer. "When do we get to try the real thing an' not just the simulators?"

Wufei smiled indulgently. "Soon enough," he promised.

"Right this second wouldn't be soon enough," Duo assured him.

Heero slipped an arm around his boyfriend's waist. "Patience, love. We've got all the time in the world now. And you don't have to worry about where you'll live, or where your next meal is coming from. Your only responsibility here is to do your best at learning the skills to be the best mobile suit pilot in history."

Duo leaned against him, smiling widely and closing his eyes. "God, you're good for my ego, Yuy. No wonder I keep you around."

"You keep him around for the sex," Wufei drawled snidely, standing up and stretching. "But don't expect any tonight, Junior. You need your sleep."

Duo glared and then yawned helplessly. "S'pose maybe you've got a point—Pops."

His guardian smirked at that. "Welcome to the Academy, Maxwell. It's good to have you here." Then he fixed a stern gaze on Heero. "I'll give you five minutes, Yuy. I'll be waiting in the foyer."

Duo perked up at that. "Five minutes—?"

Heero sighed, shaking his head ruefully. "Not nearly enough time," he muttered under his breath, giving the Chinese man a resentful look as he strode quickly out of the room.

Duo immediately pressed against Heero, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. When they both needed air, he pulled back, looking up at his boyfriend affectionately. "I didn't tell Chang the best thing about being here is that I've got you, too."

A reluctant smile tugged at Heero's lips. "Right back atcha." He tugged the towel from Duo's hair, and pulled the damp length in between them, gently finger-combing it and blotting more moisture out of it with the towel.

Duo smirked in response, knowing Heero's fascination with his hair very well. "Y'know, Chang can't be everywhere at once. Sooner or later—."

"—we'll have our whole night together in a soft bed, with no interruptions?" Heero guessed. "Damn straight we will!" He sobered, catching both of Duo's hands in his. "Listen, Duo…Chang and I were talking…apparently some of the students here aren't keen on the idea of sharing the place with a bunch of former juvenile delinquents."

The indigo eyes flashed in irritation. "What's it to them?" he snarled.

"Elitist snobs," shrugged his lover. "Anyhow, the Major's going to mention it at orientation, and they'll put a stop to it. But in the meantime, maybe you shouldn't be telling anyone you came here through Camp Peacecraft, just in case."

Duo didn't react with outrage or concern, as Heero had expected he might. Instead he considered for a moment, and then shrugged. "I won't lie about it, if anyone asks. But then, I don't go spilling my guts to people I don't know, either. So I won't volunteer the information."

"Good," Heero breathed in relief. "There's enough new cadets here, from a bunch of different schools, so we can blend in easily enough. And frankly, it's nobody's business how any of us got here. The point should be that we qualified to get in."

"Yeah, it should." Duo pushed back his hair, scowling slightly. "Don't worry about me, 'Ro. I've watched my back a lotta years, and I'm not gonna stop now. I'll be careful what I say and who I say it to." He ran fingers through his damp bangs. "I oughta dry this a little before I go to bed, or it'll be a disaster in the morning."

Heero leaned in to press a light kiss against his lover's lips. "I better get out to Chang, or he'll come find me."

Duo pulled him in for a longer, deeper kiss, and then finally released him. "You just wait'll I'm eighteen in a couple of months. I'll tell Chang right where to go if he keeps trying to play chaperone. I mean, just 'cause he's my legal guardian right now—."

"He cares," Heero said simply. "About both of us."

"I know," admitted the braided boy. "Or I wouldn't take any of his shit at all." He yawned yet again, rubbing his eyes.

"You need sleep. I'll see you first thing in the morning," Heero promised, placing a quick kiss on the end of Duo's nose. "I love you Duo Maxwell."

The other boy blinked, looking quickly up at him, and blushing adorably. And then he threw his arms around Heero in a tight hug. "God, I love you too, 'Ro!"

After a moment, Heero reluctantly disentangled himself and stood up. "Good night."

Duo flopped back against his pillow, leaning on his elbows and raising an eyebrow suggestively. "Yeah, well—just look what you're missing out on tonight," he teased, trying his best to look—seductive. And amazingly, he pulled it off, even in sweats.

Heero groaned, dragging his eyes away from the face and body he adored. "I _know _what I'm missing out on. Believe me. And once we've settled in and you're not quite so in need of sleep, all the Captain Changs in the world won't keep me away."

"Promises…promises," Duo smirked. He looked fondly at his lover. "G'night, 'Ro. See you in the morning."


	4. Meetings

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU (sort of), yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: Sorry...migraines last week kept me from serious computer time. I apologize profusely for the delay. But I'm better now, and updates should be more timely. I also feel that this chapter is a bit slow, though necessary to the plot, and I'll try to get to the action soon.

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Three: Meetings

In spite of the tiring previous day, Duo was up first thing in the morning, without having to be dragged out of bed by either his eager friends or his overly prompt lover. He'd never had a room of his own, let alone a private bathroom, and he couldn't help but revel in the experience.

After blinking sleepily awake and looking around in some confusion, he'd remembered where he was and bounded eagerly out of bed to get ready for his first full day at the Academy. In fact, he'd freshened up, dressed in a clean uniform, and was on his way to the door to start exploring his new territory when there was a quick, no-nonsense rap on it.

He pulled it open to find Heero, Quatre and Trowa all standing in the corridor. "Wow. Got a whole welcoming committee, didn't I?"

"We're headed for breakfast, and figured it'd be nice to go as a group," Quatre informed him, tugging at his sleeve. "C'mon. I'm starving."

Duo gave in to the pressure, pausing to place a quick, hungry kiss on Heero's lips before following Quatre down the hall. "Hey—slow down, Quat! I'm barely awake here."

"You can wake up over breakfast," the blonde assured him. "I got hold of Austin and a few of our other friends, and we're all planning to meet at the dining hall."

The braided boy cast a worried glance over his shoulder at Heero. "Is that such a good idea? We get together an' someone might start figuring out how we know each other."

"Unlikely," Heero replied with a shrug. "According to Chang, about half of the sophomore class is new to the Academy. It shouldn't be obvious how eight or ten of us know each other even if we sit together at breakfast. Besides, for all anyone knows, we might've met yesterday, during check-in or at the dorms."

Quatre heaved a frustrated sigh. "We shouldn't have to hide how we got into the Academy," he said with a frown, obviously having had the situation explained to him.

"Easy for you to say," Duo pointed out. "No one would expect a Winner to have started his military career in juvenile detention."

"I honestly doubt they'll give it a second thought about any of us," Heero insisted.

"What about Relena's cousin?" Trowa pointed out, green eyes narrowing. "If he knows you, he probably knows you were arrested."

"Reginald and I never met," Heero replied with a shrug. "I only know the name, and when Duo mentioned it, I remembered that Relena had a cousin at the Academy. And like I said, there aren't many Darlians out there."

"Thank God," Duo muttered, bumping a shoulder against Heero's as they walked across the quadrangle.

Rev jogged by on his way somewhere, waving a quick greeting to Duo, and Heero glanced aside at his lover a bit jealously. "Who's that?"

"Told ya yesterday," Duo reminded him. "That's Rev…the kid I met at check-in. And he introduced me to his friend Cooper, who's in my dorm."

"He's not the only one," came a familiar voice, as Austin came striding briskly up to join them. "I'm in Mercury too, Maxwell."

Duo smirked over his shoulder. "I take it that means Jase'll be stopping by a lot…"

A faint blush colored Austin's cheeks, and he glanced down at the ground as they walked. "We kinda hang out together," he shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, that's cool," Duo assured him. "You don't have to hide anything from us four, ya know."

"Just everyone else here," came the rather surly reply.

"Ah," Quatre spoke up, his aquamarine eyes bright with understanding. "Not a lot of tolerance around here?"

"I'm sure there's some," Austin hedged. "But until we get to know a few people, I wouldn't recommend being too—obvious."

"Understood," Heero said simply, giving Duo a brief, reassuring glance. "You okay with that?"

"Don't have to tell me to keep a low profile," Duo said wryly. "I mean, at boot camp folks picked up on it…but then, that was a different world."

He had a point. The boys had been quartered together and done everything in large groups at boot camp. There hadn't been a single place they might not be observed by either guards or other inmates. Here at the Academy, they had a lot more privacy. There was no need for stealing a kiss in a public place when they each had a private room to go to.

Jase, Ben and Adam met them at the entrance to the dining hall, and it was only with a supreme effort of will that Duo resisted the impulse to hug his former comrades-in-arms. He settled for a beaming smile. "God, it's great to see you guys!"

They shook hands all around, and it was Heero who gave Jase a quick once over glance. "Good to see you without the crutches, Carroll."

Jase smiled back warmly. "Feels good to be on my own two feet," he asserted. His gaze traveled irresistibly to Duo. "So how was your visit to L2, brat?" he teased.

Duo shrugged. "Tolerable." He fell in step between Jase and Heero as they headed into the building, discussing how they'd spent their past few weeks.

Once inside, the boys from boot camp dropped the reminiscing and focused their conversation on the Academy and what they'd discovered so far. Apparently they'd all gotten the word to keep quiet about having entered the military school via Camp Peacecraft, so any further discussion of their shared past would have to be done in a more private setting than the mess hall.

Ever the consummate strategist, Quatre spent most of the meal watching the tables around them, noticing which groups seemed well-established, and which were comprised of boys just getting acquainted.

In fact, he was so busy with that pursuit, that he missed Duo sliding over next to him, leaning closer to lower his voice. "Hey, Quat…still got the old habits, don't ya?"

"Meaning?"

"I'll bet you already figured out all the cliques in this place…who's new and who already knows the ropes…where the top of the pecking order starts and ends…" He raised an eyebrow knowingly.

Quatre smiled, looking down at his plate. "I can tell you this much…Darlian's near the top of the food chain."

Duo chuckled, shaking his head, and lowering his voice. "For someone who _didn't _spend his entire childhood in and out of detention, you sure know how the game's played."

The blonde boy looked frankly at his friend. "I had to learn fast," he said darkly. "My first time in, before I knew who and what to watch out for, I had a pretty rough go of it."

From Quatre's other side, Trowa looked over with a frown, and Duo quickly surmised that his two friends had never discussed their previous incarcerations. He took a bite of his food to hide a grimace. _A week-long road trip and they never even got that far in conversation? Either they'd been too busy having sex, or Quatre hadn't wanted to discuss it._ Duo made a mental note to drag details out of his buddy the next time he got him alone.

Apparently Heero hadn't yet been able to abandon his role as team leader, because his attention was now focused on his three friends, and it was obvious he'd picked up on the change in tone. "Everything okay?"

Duo smiled disarmingly at him. "Sure. Quat's just sizing up the opposition hereabouts."

"It's not supposed to be that way," Heero muttered, his dark gaze wandering across to the rather loud group of jocks at Reginald Darlian's table.

"And yet, it still is," Duo reminded him. "Everywhere you go, it's the same, Yuy. It'd be naïve to think otherwise."

"But it would be nice to find more camaraderie than competition," Quatre sighed.

"There's good competition and bad competition," Heero noted. "The kind between Carroll's group and ours was good." He slid a glance to Austin, and gave a slight smirk. "Even Pritchard's team gave us a fair enough challenge."

"Unlike Norton's underhanded tactics," Duo reminded them, scowling briefly as he recalled the boy who'd very deliberately injured Jase Carroll's knee during a sparring match, causing the other boy to miss more than half of the training. Only a prompt trip to an MSC hospital had repaired the damage and enabled Jase to recuperate in time to start the Academy along with his friends.

"Ah, but he got what was coming to him in the end," Austin reminded him. "Last I heard, he won't be showing up here this semester, if ever." He gave an appreciative smirk to the braided boy who'd ended up breaking Kyle's elbow in an all-out brawl during a baseball game. There'd been more to it than just revenge, though, as Kyle had threatened and harassed Duo—essentially goading him into taking the action he did.

"Too bad his teammates made the cut." Heero looked over to a corner table where four other boys from Camp Peacecraft were seated, none looking in their direction. Three were from Kyle Norton's team and one was a boy named Tom, who'd quietly propositioned Heero once during boot camp. "Looks like they want nothing to do with us."

Duo scowled in Tom's direction. "Good," he growled, jealousy coloring his tone.

Trowa couldn't help smiling. The rocky start to Heero and Duo's relationship had been quite fascinating to watch.

"You never had anything to worry about," Heero told Duo quietly, his blue eyes intense.

"But I didn't know that," Duo reminded him.

"You would've if you'd pulled your head out of your ass long enough to look," Trowa teased.

"Hey—if you recall, 'Ro had just humiliated me in front of the whole camp," Duo shot back with a glare. "An' next thing I know there's someone else hitting on him. I mean, shit. What was I supposed to think?"

The debate that might have ensued was cut short as Rev and Cooper walked up to the table. "Hey, you guys heading over to the auditorium soon?" Rev gave Duo a rather snide look. "I heard Major Merquise is giving the orientation speech."

Cooper glanced from Rev to Duo and the others. "Is it true that you've met Major Merquise?" he asked the braided boy.

Duo grinned wickedly. "Hell, yeah." He almost added that the handsome man had flirted with him at their first meeting, but decided it wasn't appropriate bragging material until he knew how his new acquaintances viewed homosexual relationships.

Rev raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Guess you'll have a chance to prove it."

"Duo doesn't lie," Heero said flatly, turning a wrathful gaze on the two newcomers.

"'S okay, 'Ro," Duo said, his calculating gaze still fixed on Rev. "These two don't know me well enough to know that yet. But they'll figure it out eventually." He gave a cool smile. "Rev…Cooper…these are some of my friends. Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Austin, Jase, Ben, and Adam." He gestured in turn to each of his companions. "Still want to stay neutral?"

Rev smirked back and shrugged, his glance roaming over the formidable group. "I wouldn't mind seeing Darlian taken down a notch or two," he admitted.

"Well then, stick around," Duo suggested. "Me an' my friends are gonna show 'em how it's done around here."

Cooper laughed aloud, elbowing his friend in the ribs. "You were right, Rev. This _is _gonna be an interesting semester." He eyed Duo questioningly. "So, what're you good at, besides bragging?"

"Everything," Duo shrugged. "But I'm nothing compared to Heero. He's got soldiering down to an art form. You name it, and he can do it. Quat's a tactical genius…and Trowa can get in and out of any situation, no matter how precarious it is. He's an expert at infiltration."

Cooper nodded, accepting the information at face value for the moment. "Rev was near the top of the class last year in mobile suit piloting, and I'm about the best engineer and mechanic you're gonna find."

"Now who's good at bragging?" Duo teased. "Have you gotten to use the real suits, rather than simulators?"

"Nope—you have to be a sophomore for that," Rev replied. "We'll all get to try it out together—assuming you're all second-years?"

"We are," Heero said firmly, picking up his empty plate to take up to the front. "And I think we all need to get going to that orientation lecture," he added.

The group of boys handed in their dirty dishes and made their way across the yard, with Rev and Cooper added to their ranks.

* * *

When they got to the auditorium, they headed for seats close enough to the front so they wouldn't miss anything important. They were able to find enough empty seats in a group so they could sit together, and Duo found himself sandwiched between Heero and Rev. 

He leaned close enough to whisper to his lover. "This is kind of like going to a movie, huh? Wanna make out when they turn the lights down?"

Heero gave a wry snort. "I'm pretty sure it won't get dark enough in here for that."

"But not positive."

The Japanese boy just shook his head, glancing fondly at his boyfriend. "I'll be at your dorm tonight, come Hell or high water, Maxwell."

Duo wiggled slightly on the seat. "Not sure I can wait that long, 'Ro."

"What did I say about self-control?" teased Heero.

Duo sat up straight at the sight of Major Merquise and Captain Chang striding out onto the stage, amid their instructors and staff. "Well, well…if it isn't the big blonde badass himself," he said with a grin, relieved at how much better the officer looked than he had when they last spoke by vid-phone. He didn't fail to notice the way Wufei stayed close to Merquise's side, though he couldn't tell if it was worry over the man's welfare, or perhaps a sign of affection.

"They had their dinner date about a week ago," Heero said in an undertone, having followed Duo's gaze as well as his train of thought. At a questioning look from the indigo eyes, he gave a hint of a smile. "I heard it went well."

"Good. 'Fei's great. He deserves to be happy," Duo replied, settling comfortably into his seat and letting his gaze wander around the auditorium.

The last of the cadets had sprinted in and taken seats, when Major Merquise went to the podium and tapped the microphone for attention. "Good morning, cadets…instructors," he said, including everyone with a cool blue glance. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Major Zechs Merquise, Director of the Mobile Suit Corps Academy. First and foremost, I welcome you here. I'm sure you are all well aware that not just anyone is admitted to this facility. Those who come here have undergone testing to determine their abilities. They have also attended a boot camp at one of several training centers. There is not a single one of you out there who doesn't possess the qualities and talents necessary to be a mobile suit pilot. Nor is there an idiot in the bunch—each of you has a superior IQ, a great deal of raw talent, and the desire and ambition required to excel at this endeavor." He squared his broad shoulders and a faintly mocking smile touched his lips. "For those very reasons, the training program here is both challenging and grueling. On top of that, we've stepped up the pace to cover as much as possible in the shortest time. You'll work long hours, study advanced material, and have to pass numerous tests each step of the way. It will not be a cakewalk. I'm sure many of you have cruised through your previous institutions, excelling without half-trying. You will not be able to do that here. If you don't give one hundred percent effort, you'll fall flat on your face, and we'll show you the door without hesitation. There are no second chances…no do-overs. You'll excel or leave."

Duo felt Heero tense slightly beside him, and glanced over to see his lover dart a concerned look his way. He returned the look, putting all of the reassurance he could into his expression. He knew he'd fumbled a lot at boot camp and made a million mistakes. But he wanted Heero to know he wouldn't do that here. He'd already decided to make the most of the opportunity, and had no intention of failing.

Seeing something in those indigo eyes that calmed his fears, Heero gave a small, warm smile and turned his attention back to the speaker.

"I have only a few points to cover here, and then I'll dismiss you cadets to enjoy your last free day," continued the Major. "This Academy covers nearly five square miles of land. There are secure and non-secure areas. You may consult your orientation manuals to locate them—though the presence of fences and armed guards will make the secure areas quite obvious. The dorms and classrooms are, of course, in a secure area. The mobile suits are in an even more secure area. During the week, no one is permitted off Academy grounds, but you can go outside the secure areas for hiking or other recreational activities; though I expect you'll find little or no time for that. On the weekends, you are permitted to go into town, or elsewhere, though you are required to check out and back in when you do so." He smiled wryly. "There's not much to do in town…trust me on that. However, from time to time, we hold joint activities with the girls' Academy in the next town over." He raised an elegant eyebrow in a slightly sardonic gesture. "For obvious reasons, a military institution such as this is _not _co-ed. Aside from days that we hold social or sports events, the only females you'll see on this campus are instructors or staff. Again, you are not here for recreation. You are here to become the best mobile suit pilots and soldiers we can make you."

He paused, taking in the serious expressions of his audience. "I'll level with you all for a moment, as I want you to clearly understand what we're up against. I'm sure you've heard rumors of unrest among the colonies and skirmishes between our peacekeeping forces and rebellious factions. Well, they are not just rumor. There is, indeed, a growing opposition to the idea of a single governing body for Earth and all five colonies, and there are organizations out there trying to amass weapons and troops to bring about civil war. No one knows if and when it will actually come to pass—if we maintain the status quo long enough for negotiations to resolve some of the major issues, it might never happen. But I wouldn't count on that. Thus, it's supremely important to me that each of you is prepared for that eventuality. I want you mentally and physically equipped to survive and accomplish your missions if you are called upon. And while I'd like that to take place long after your graduation from this facility, I can't promise any such thing. If and when you are needed, you _will _be deployed."

He glanced back at Wufei with a slight frown and then looked back at the young faces of the cadets. "I wish you could all serve out your enlistment during peacetime; but I'm not naïve enough to count on it, and neither should you be."

Taking a deep breath, and pulling himself from the bleak mindset, he turned a sterner gaze to the boys. "The final topic I wish to cover pertains to certain rumors that have come to my attention. As some of you know, the Peacecraft Foundation initiated a new program to rehabilitate troubled teens. Working in conjunction with them, the Mobile Suit Corps acted as the catalyst, weeding out unsuitable youths and finding those with the necessary qualities of intelligence and determination to complete the program. Their reward was a chance to enlist in the Mobile Suit Corps and attend this Academy." His ice-blue eyes had gone cold. "The rumor to which I'm referring, is that there are students here who are opposed to the admission of students through the Peacecraft Intiative. In fact, I've heard there's talk of starting a 'club' of sorts, consisting of cadets intent on ostracizing or sabotaging those students." He narrowed his eyes menacingly. "I'm here to state clearly that if any one of you so much as looks the wrong way at another student you think might have come through that program, you will be disciplined. First off, all records of _all _students are classified material. And even if they weren't, you'd find nothing about any incidents in a student's past that occurred while they were juveniles. Furthermore, our classes are a mixture of students from many colonies, schools, and recruitment points. It's no one's business where anyone else came from. All that matters is what you do here." He gestured over his shoulder to include his staff and the officers and instructors. "If any of us catch wind of harassment or intimidation towards another student, regardless of how he got here, we will act. Discipline, demotion, or dismissal; take your pick. Because if you are found to be acting against your fellow cadets, you'll most likely receive all three. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a murmur in the crowd, and the boys from Camp Peacecraft exchanged glances, impressed by the extremely severe warning.

"Do I _make _myself clear?!" Major Merquise demanded in a fierce voice.

"Yes sir!" came a chorus of replies.

"Good," continued the officer. "We have no time for petty differences here…and no patience for them, either. You are all here to train and learn necessary skills that will hopefully keep you alive through whatever the next few years bring. I want each of you to take a good look around—any cadet you see might one day have the opportunity to save your life. You have to learn to work together and trust one another; that will never happen if there's prejudice within your ranks. Get over it—now!"

His expression softened fractionally. "By the same token, the staff and instructors are here to educate and train you; but they are also here for support. If any of you have problems, of any sort, feel free to confide in an instructor, your advisor, or the base doctor." He glanced back at Captain Chang. "Anything to add, Captain?"

Wufei shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I think you've covered it all."

"Very well then." Merquise turned back towards the assembled cadets. "You're free to tour the grounds and familiarize yourself with the layout today. Staff will be available at the administration building to answer any questions that aren't covered in your manuals. Classes will begin first thing in the morning, and you are expected to be on time. Don't even try saying you got lost. It will not go over well." He gave a curt nod. "Dismissed!"

As he turned back to his officers and staff, the cadets stood up and began to disperse.

"Hey, are we allowed to go see the mobile suits?" Duo asked, turning to face his friends, and half-sitting on the back of the row of seats behind him.

"It's a restricted area," Heero told him. "But we're supposed to get to tour it in mobile suit class this week."

The braided boy gave a frustrated huff, but his pout was interrupted by a familiar voice. "So, Maxwell—how'd I do?"

Duo spun around, grinning in delight at the sight of a familiar tall, broad-shouldered blonde officer striding down the aisle towards him, Captain Chang close behind. "Major Merquise! It's good to see you on your feet, sir." He gave a somewhat sloppy, but nonetheless respectful salute.

Zechs smirked over his shoulder at Wufei, and then brushed Duo's salute aside, and grabbing his hand to shake it warmly. "Maxwell, that uniform suits you perfectly," he said with a smile, his gaze sliding from head to toe. "And are you ready to get down to some _serious_ training now?"

"For you, sir? Anything," Duo said cheekily, resisting the impulse to wink at Captain Chang's stern expression.

Zechs looked past Duo to the others, including Rev and Cooper, who stood slack-jawed near the back of the group. "Yuy, Barton, Winner…still sticking together, eh?"

"Always, sir," Heero said firmly.

"And I see you've expanded your circle." He nodded to Jase, Austin, and the others. "I'm expecting a lot from you boys."

"You'll get it," Quatre asserted on behalf of himself and his companions. "We're all pretty excited about being here, sir. It's an honor."

Duo was close enough to lower his voice a little, running a critical gaze over the officer. "You back to a hundred percent yet, sir?"

Major Merquise's back stiffened, and he gave the braided boy a defiant look. "I'm on my feet, aren't I?"

"Yeah, and the fact that Chang allowed it tells me you're definitely well again."

The Major threw an arm across Duo's shoulders, leaning in conspiratorially. "Don't tell him, but I've kind of milked it for all the sympathy I can get," he whispered.

Duo laughed aloud at that. "My lips are sealed," he promised, giving Wufei a devilish wink. "God, it's good to have you back, Major."

Zechs tightened his arm in a brief hug, and then released the boy, squaring his shoulders and resuming a stern, commanding stance. "It's good to be back, Maxwell," he said with feigned gruffness. "Now, why don't you and your fellow cadets get the hell out of here and have a little fun on your last day off?"

"Ah, the kind of order I like best," Duo grinned.

* * *

The group of friends were barely out in the sunshine of an autumn morning when Rev made his way to Duo's side, and reached out to put a hand on the braided boy's shoulder. "Hey, Maxwell—I owe you an apology, I guess." 

"Naw," Duo said dismissively, shrugging off the hand before Heero could get possessive and rip it off. "There was no reason for you to believe I'd really met Merquise before."

"Well now there is."

Cooper edged up beside him. "How did you ever get on a first-name basis with the Major?" he asked in almost breathless awe.

"He didn't," Heero said with a perfectly straight face. "Didn't you notice Merquise called him 'Maxwell?'"

"Very funny, Yuy," Duo said with a roll of his eyes. He smiled apologetically at Rev and Cooper. "So happens the Major and I have a mutual acquaintance, and I was in a position to, er, do some work for Merquise, kind of. We _all _did—Heero, Quat, Tro' an' me. Merquise is a great officer and a really decent guy."

"He seemed nice," Rev noted, sitting back and grinning. "He _did _know all of you, didn't he? We never even saw him on campus last year, except when he supervised some of the practical exams and demonstrations. And even then, he never really interacted with any cadets—just his officers. He's seriously like a legend around here."

"Huh," Duo muttered, leaning closer to Heero. "Guess we should've been more impressed when we met him, hm?"

Heero chuckled dryly. "I have yet to see _anyone _impress you, Maxwell."

"Not true," Duo said in an even quieter voice. "You do it every time you touch me." He'd moved so that he nearly whispered the last sentence in Heero's ear, enjoying the faint shiver that it evoked from his usually stoic partner.

Quatre was about to interrupt, concerned that Rev or Cooper might notice what he felt was a fairly obvious air of intimacy between his two former teammates. But Cooper spoke up first. "Hey, did I hear the Major say the name 'Winner' back there?"

Duo waved a hand towards Quatre, smirking at their new acquaintance. "Yeah, Coop. We've got _the _Quatre Winner in our little circle of friends."

"Duo!" Quatre blushed and ducked his head shyly. "It's not that big a deal."

"Big enough," Rev muttered. "Who'd have thought we'd get to meet Major Merquise face to face _and _hang out with the heir to the Winner Empire all in one day?"

Duo smirked and then gave a fake yawn. "Just another day," he said teasingly.

"So where'd you go to school last year?" Cooper persisted, his curious gaze on Quatre.

"Uh…well…it was on L4," Quatre replied truthfully. Before he was arrested, he had indeed attended one of the finest prep schools on his home colony. It wasn't one that would have led into the Mobile Suit Corps Academy; but there was no reason to share _that _tidbit of information.

"How 'bout you?" Duo cut in smoothly, turning towards Rev and Cooper. "Where're you guys from?"

"Well, last year we were both here," Rev told them. "Before that, I went to the Lake Victoria prep school, and Coop was on L1 at the pre-MSC training school." He swept the rest of them with a curious gaze. "I s'pose after Merquise's little speech none of that matters anyway."

"Not to us," Duo shrugged. "Like he said, we're all here for the same thing, right?"

Cooper gave a little snort at that. "Not to disagree with you…at least not entirely. But I'm here because my dad was third-generation military and decided nothing short of the MSC Academy would do for his only son."

Quatre laughed in response. "That's pretty funny, because my father tried to talk me _out_ of coming here."

"So why did you?"

"Because…" Quatre looked around at Trowa and his other two teammates. "Because my best friends are here, and together we're going to make a difference in the world." His aquamarine eyes narrowed slightly. "Am I right?"

"Damn straight," Heero said quietly, giving one of those proud little smiles he'd given every time Team Wing was on top of the world.

Duo elbowed him teasingly. "You stole my line, Yuy."

Heero smirked inscrutably, thinking it was only fair for him to steal Duo's catch-phrase after the braided boy so deftly stole his heart. "Payback, Maxwell. Payback."


	5. Beginnings

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU (sort of), yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: For those who've read "Boot Camp," (i.e. most of you) please be patient with my repetition of certain events. An early reviewer pointed out that I'd said this story would stand alone, even for someone who _hadn't_ read "Boot Camp." So I'm gradually back-filling some of the major plot points from "Boot Camp." Hopefully by the time I finish, readers who missed it will at least have an understanding of how the boys got to where they are. I've attempted to keep it interesting for those who read the prequel by focusing on the effects of those previous events, rather than the events themselves. Hope I succeeded.

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Four: Beginnings

"They look good, Chang," Major Merquise commented as they walked together towards their offices.

"The recruits in general—or are you talking about anyone specific?"

"Yuy's team, as well as the other boys from Peacecraft," replied Zechs, glancing at Wufei's pensive face.

Wufei nodded. "They do, don't they?"

The Major's face sobered to match that of his subordinate. "Sorry they passed boot camp?"

Wufei looked up sharply. "Why do you ask that?"

"Because in all likelihood they'll end up in the middle of a civil war when they finish this training program…if not sooner."

The Chinese man looked down at the ground as they walked. "I could wish for better things for those boys," he said with a shrug.

"Boys?" Merquise said quietly. "Chang, you're only three years older than they are," he pointed out.

"Aye, but I'm a bit more experienced in survival."

"Don't sell them short. Didn't you suggest that Maxwell's street smarts were as valuable as months of training would be to someone who never had to steal to survive?"

"I did. And I do believe that those who've had to fend for themselves are more resourceful than those who've had things handed to them. I just wonder if that's enough." He gave his comrade a wan smile. "Don't mind me, Zechs. It's just that your speech brought home to me that those young men might face a very bleak future."

"Not as bleak as prison," Merquise reminded him.

"True." Wufei brightened perceptibly at that. "Very true," he added, recalling how horrible the warden of the juvenile facility had been.

Treize Kushrenada had been in charge of security at Camp Peacecraft, while Captain Chang and his soldiers trained the juveniles incarcerated there. The stern warden had personal history with Duo that led to his coercion of Trowa into betraying the team. That betrayal had resulted in Duo's nearly being sent off to prison on L2, and had allowed a cruel guard the opportunity to beat and rape him while he was in solitary confinement. Though the guard had been convicted and imprisoned, it didn't undo the harm, and Wufei held himself accountable for that.

He'd never forgiven himself for not seeing the depth of the warden's hatred of Maxwell in time to prevent the whole horrible incident. His only consolation was that he'd managed to keep Duo from being sent to L2—though most of the credit went to Heero and the other boys in Team Wing for finding exculpatory evidence and delaying the prison bus long enough to allow Chang to cut the paperwork to stop the transfer. At the same time, Wufei had filed to become Duo's legal guardian, so that he could better protect the boy until he turned eighteen, which was still a couple of months away—at least according to the arbitrary birth date assigned to the orphan when he'd first been taken in by the Maxwell Church.

In spite of all that had transpired at Camp Peacecraft, Wufei did believe Duo was better off for having made it through boot camp. As pretty as the boy was, if he'd ended up in the adult prison system, he'd have endured far worse than the mistreatment Kushrenada had orchestrated.

"Thinking about that gorgeous young man in a hard core prison, are you?" asked Zechs quietly.

With difficulty, Wufei pulled his thoughts away from the troubling "what-if" thoughts, a bit surprised that Zechs had read him so well yet again. He even managed a weak smile. "I was."

"Well stop. You managed to avert that disaster, and if nothing else had come out of the Peacecraft Initiative, I think that one rescue would have been worth it."

Wufei's smile widened. "Thank you, sir."

"Sir again?" They'd reached Major Merquise's office, and he held the door open, allowing Captain Chang to go in first.

"We _are_ on duty," Wufei reminded him a bit stiffly.

Zechs pulled the door shut behind them, locking it and leaning his back against it. "How about a five-minute break, hm? You can stop calling me 'sir,' and tell me when I can take you out again."

Wufei hesitated, and then finally nodded, his shoulders relaxing perceptibly. "I'd—like that," he admitted, sitting on the edge of the desk, facing his—.

_His what? Superior? Friend? Mentor? Boyfriend?_

It had only been a couple of months since Wufei began to look at Zechs Merquise as a potential love interest. Prior to that, he hadn't seriously given thought to his sexual orientation at all—he'd just assumed he was heterosexual. But when Zechs made a slight overture, he'd begun to question himself. He knew Heero was gay—after all, they'd been friends since childhood. And he'd noticed immediately when Heero started to develop feelings for Duo. But figuring out whether Zechs was interested in _him _that way had been a little harder.

Of course, once they wagered a dinner date against the outcome of the "capture the flag" competition at the boot camp, Wufei knew for certain that Zechs wanted to be more than friends or colleagues. And when Wufei lost the bet, he began to admit to himself that maybe it was something he wanted as well.

Then when Zechs was shot by one of Kushrenada's corrupt prison guards and came closer to dying than anyone wanted to think about, Wufei had been faced with the knowledge that he felt an attachment that went far beyond casual acquaintance. He never wanted to be without Zech's friendship, camaraderie, support, and—well—affection.

So they'd had their dinner date shortly after Zechs got out of the hospital, and since then they'd continued to take things very, very slowly. After all, having a relationship with a superior officer was strictly forbidden in the military. Had they been in a combat unit, Wufei didn't think he'd even have considered it. But since they worked in a training facility where lives would not be placed at risk, they'd dared to continue to explore the potential.

Not that they'd hopped into bed, either; instead they'd continued their solid working relationship with only a slight added intimacy. Now instead of being all business, they occasionally talked about personal things—dreams and ambitions, as well as their pasts. Ever conscious of the fact that they were very public figures in the Mobile Suit Corps, they'd been beyond discreet; they hadn't even attempted a touch or kiss yet. But Wufei was beginning to wonder how long he could resist the temptation.

The Chinese man looked searchingly at the tall, elegant blonde, his dark eyes softening as he studied the chiseled features and silken hair. "All right then…Zechs…"

The way he said the name sent a perceptible shiver down the Major's body.

"…when would you like to have dinner together again? Outside the mess hall, that is," Wufei added with a trace of a smirk.

Zechs smiled back. "At your convenience," he shrugged, stepping closer. "I thought perhaps we could take a drive to _de la Lune_," he suggested, naming a five-star restaurant a couple of hours away from the Academy.

"You don't have to spend a fortune to impress me," Wufei told him plainly. "I've been impressed with you since I enlisted and you became my teacher."

"I don't want to impress you as a teacher," Zechs replied equally plainly. "I want to impress you as a—a—." He fumbled uneasily to a halt, and Wufei took over, standing up and taking his hands.

"You're adorable when you stutter," he said with a hint of a teasing smirk.

"Adorable enough to kiss?" asked the blonde hopefully, tugging Wufei gently towards him.

"Very much so," admitted the Chinese man, all hint of humor gone.

Zechs leaned in and very gently kissed Wufei, savoring the unexpected victory as well as the taste of those slender, expressive lips.

Then he pulled back, trying to read the expression on the other man's face. _Was that disgust? Delight? Confusion? Regret?_

Wufei smiled reassuringly, as if following the parade of doubts through Zechs' mind. "Very nice," he said quietly. "I think I could get to like this male-male relationship thing."

The blonde's sigh of relief was audible. "So that's something you might not be averse to trying again?"

"I wouldn't be averse to it at all," Wufei admitted. "In the proper setting, at the proper time, I could get very used to it."

Zechs straightened his shoulders slightly. "I sense that my office isn't the proper place."

"While it served well enough for a first kiss, I'm sure I'd like our second, and any subsequent ones, to be somewhere more relaxing and—intimate." Wufei gave Zechs' hands a light squeeze before releasing them. "We could certainly break away from the base this Saturday, couldn't we? It's early enough in the training session that there's nothing on the weekend schedule."

Zechs smiled widely. "Consider it a date then. We can leave by noon and take our time seeing a few sights on the way to the restaurant. If we have an early supper, we can be back at a very reasonable hour."

Wufei smile warmly at him, grateful for his patience. While Merquise had been in homosexual relationships before, this was a first for Wufei, and he wanted—no, _needed_—to take things slowly. He wasn't sure any other man would have understood, but Zechs seemed to, and his respect of Wufei's limits was one of his most endearing qualities.

"So—we'd better resume our duties now, hadn't we?" said the Major rather brusquely, stepping around Wufei to go to his desk. "If we're going to have a day off Saturday, we'll need to be caught up on all our paperwork."

"Sadly, yes," agreed the Chinese officer, inclining his head in a polite gesture before heading to the door.

And if he found his fingers tracing lightly over his lips, recalling the brush of another's while he worked at his desk all afternoon, no one was the wiser.

* * *

It was early afternoon, and with no demands on their time, some of the boys from Camp Peacecraft had ended up hanging out in the quadrangle, tossing a baseball back and forth. At least Austin, Jase, Duo and Quatre were playing catch; Heero and Trowa had gone off to find vending machines and bring back drinks for everyone. 

As focused as they were on their throws, varying the speed and distance to challenge each other, no one noticed the group of boys crossing the quadrangle until one threw a football in their direction.

Catching a glimpse of motion out of the corner of his eye, Duo automatically ducked and sidestepped, while Austin made a quick sprint and caught the projectile, glaring over at the boy who'd thrown it.

Reginald Darlian wore a decided smirk as he walked up to Austin with his fellow jocks at his heels. "Good catch," he said graciously, holding out a hand for the ball.

Austin darted a look at Duo, who shrugged off the near-miss and walked over to pick up the forgotten baseball and take his place beside Jase and Quatre. "Careful where you throw next time," Austin said coolly. Though it had been a long time since he'd had a crush on Duo, he still didn't like the idea of someone nearly nailing him in the head with a carelessly thrown football.

"Sure," Reginald replied, taking the proffered ball. "It got away from me."

Duo snorted to himself, not even stooping to comment on how phony the apology was. _For that matter, it wasn't even an apology at all._

Austin just shook his head. "See it doesn't happen again." He turned to head back to Jase and the others.

"Hey—wait a sec," Reginald said quickly. He gave an apologetic smile as Austin turned back around. "That really was a good catch. You wanna play some touch football with me an' my friends?"

"I'm busy," Austin replied, jerking his chin towards _his_ friends. "Maybe some other time."

"Once classes and practice start there won't _be_ much time," Reginald assured him. "Why not have your friends play, too? Get a few together and we can make two teams—have a little contest."

Duo's head shot up at the word "contest," and he looked aside at Quatre. "Man, I'd love to put that guy in his place," he whispered to the blonde.

"I'm not sure we could," Quatre said hesitantly. "I've never played."

"It's not that hard, Quat," Duo assured him. "Just like real football, only no tackling."

Reginald apparently overheard just enough of their conversation to catch on, and threw an amused glance over his shoulder at his four friends, before turning back to them. "Hey, we're willing to teach you the game, but if you guys are afraid to try it, no problem."

"The day any of us are afraid of _you—_!" Duo snapped, taking a step towards Reginald, indigo eyes flashing.

Quatre caught his arm, giving a warning shake of his head. And then he turned a calm, assessing look on the football star. "Give us a few minutes to find some more players and you're on!"

Reginald's arrogant gaze swept across them. "Good. We play out behind the dorms where there's no benches or fountains to get in the way." He gave Quatre an amused and condescending look. "Round up a couple more players and we'll meet you there."

Then he and his friends were gone, and Quatre, Duo, Austin and Jase were exchanging a wary look.

"Shit, Winner. What did you and Maxwell just get us into?" Austin asked with a frown.

"Aw, don't sweat it!" Duo urged. "We've got a secret weapon—Heero Yuy!"

"True," Quatre conceded. "I have yet to see something he doesn't excel at."

"And this will be no exception," Duo insisted, warming to the idea of soundly beating Reginald and his buddies. "C'mon, guys. Let's round up our fearless leader and scrounge together a team."

* * *

"Aw, c'mon, Yuy! Have you no sense of adventure?" Duo chided, walking backwards in front of his lover. They'd found Trowa and Heero just leaving Mars with bottles of water and juice in hand, and made their proposal only to have it flatly declined. 

"I date _you_, Duo," Heero said just quietly enough to keep it between them. "I think that's enough to prove I have a sense of adventure."

"Or a death wish," Trowa quipped.

Quatre giggled, and then hastily tried to stifle it as Duo shot him a look.

But Duo quickly focused his attention back on his boyfriend. "Heeeeero—why don't you want to play touch football? There's enough of us for half a team, and if we need more I'll bet Rev's got a few friends who'd join in. We could mop up the field with Reggie-boy and his pals."

"Really?" Heero asked coolly. "Have you done any research around here at all, Maxwell?"

"Research?"

"Yes. _Reggie-boy_, as you so quaintly call him, is the quarterback of the football team. He's got a record-setting throwing arm, every girl in the WMSC Academy after him, and top grades."

Duo blinked, and then smirked. "Soooo—?" he drawled in an unimpressed tone.

"So?" echoed Heero, shaking his head. "So he'll probably mop up the field with you and any poor fools you sucker into joining your ill-fated team."

Indigo eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you saying you won't be one of the poor fools I sucker into joining my 'ill-fated' team?"

"Exactly."

They had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, face to face, with Jase, Austin, Quatre and Trowa spread out behind them, watching to see how the little drama played out.

Duo inched closer to Heero, holding his gaze. "Fine then. Don't," he challenged. "But you'll get none of the credit when we win."

"Fine."

"And none of anything else—if you catch my drift."

Heero's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "Are you threatening—?"

Duo leaned in close. "—to shut you off? Um, yes!"

The Prussian blue eyes narrowed in response. "I don't respond well to threats, Maxwell."

"How about promises?"

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Oh, but I can."

Heero put his lips next to Duo's ear, lowering his voice to a husky whisper. "Really, Maxwell? Why, only a couple of hours ago you were practically panting at my feet. Do you seriously expect me to believe you're not lusting after me right this minute? Or that you could control that lust long enough to make _me _come crawling?"

_Oh, crawling…now __that__ was an interesting mental image…_

"I-I'm just sayin'," Duo said in a suddenly-hoarse voice. He drew back, his eyes half-lidded and dark with lust. "I want you to—to—."

"—to play _touch_—football?" Heero finished for him, smirking triumphantly at his stammering lover.

"Uh—yeah," Duo managed a bit breathlessly.

"I will on one condition," the Japanese boy said. He'd kept his voice deliberately low throughout the exchange, making sure it wouldn't reach beyond Duo's ears. "You never, ever again threaten to withhold sex to coerce me into anything."

Duo blinked at him, frowning slightly. While, on the surface, it appeared he'd won his objective, he had a feeling he'd still been bested. And that feeling was confirmed at Heero's next words.

"I love you, Duo. I'd never deny you any form of affection as a means to get my own way about something."

Duo hung his head remorsefully, wanting to throw his arms around Heero, but well aware of how public a place they were in. "Sorry, 'Ro," he whispered with genuine regret. "I-I just meant it as a joke—but then you started making a challenge out of it, and—." He shrugged slightly. "I got a little carried away. But you're right; I shouldn't use that as leverage—ever. And I won't. I promise."

Heero smiled so warmly that Duo could practically bask in it. "Well then, shall we go round up a few more players and prepare to get our asses kicked?"

The last sentence had been loud enough to include the rest of the group, and Jase gave little cheer of victory…until all five of his companions turned stern gazes to him.

"Carroll, you are _so _sitting this out!" Duo insisted. "I am damn sure the doc hasn't cleared you for sports yet."

Austin grinned, elbowing Jase chidingly. "He's right, Jase. You know your knee isn't up for that kind of activity. You're gonna have to settle for being our cheering section."

The hazel-eyed boy sighed and nodded, realizing none of his friends would allow him to risk it. "Buncha mother hens," he muttered under his breath as they resumed their trek towards the field.

Quatre jogged up beside Heero, grinning at the team leader. "So, any big strategy plans yet, Yuy?"

Heero snorted wryly. "Yeah. I'd like us not to embarrass ourselves too much. Is that enough to hope for?"

"I think we can manage that," Quatre said firmly. "Would you like to know how?"

"Do tell."

Quatre outlined his game plan as they walked; Heero was their "power player," and the one with the accuracy and speed to act as quarterback. Trowa had proven himself the fastest of the group back in boot camp—so he'd be a perfect candidate to run the ball places. Duo made up for in lithe grace what he lacked in bulk—so he'd be great to pass to. And as for himself, Quatre knew he could quickly size up the opposition and come up with plays to exploit their weaknesses.

"And Austin—," he said, eyeing the green-eyed boy. "You've got the size and speed to run some interference."

Austin nodded. "Not a problem, Winner. So our main strategy is gonna be to get Maxwell and Barton clear to run the ball?"

"Yes. And when I see who else we get on our team, I can adjust the plan for their skills as well," Quatre said with confidence.

Duo slung an arm over the blonde's shoulders. "God, I'm glad I hooked up with you, buddy! You are definitely the brains of this outfit sometimes." He gave Heero and Trowa quick, reassuring looks. "Not that you two aren't smart, too—but you've got to admit, Quatre's like some 'Master of Strategy' when it comes right down to it."

Trowa gave a small cough, leaning close enough to whisper something in Quatre's ear about what else he excelled at, that made the blonde blush scarlet.

"Trowa!"

The former circus performer grinned unrepentantly. "Well it's true," he said, not offering anyone else an explanation.

"But—sheesh!" Quatre muttered, ducking his head in embarrassment.

"Tell me later," Duo urged Quatre, peeking slyly over his head at Trowa, who smirked inscrutably.

* * *

Reginald and his friends were tossing the football back and forth to warm up, but stopped when the others approached. "So, did you find any takers?" He directed the question at Quatre, who'd been the one to boldly accept the challenge in the first place. 

"Sure did." Quatre gestured at his companions. "We got five so far…should we round up one or two more?"

"Five's fine," shrugged the football star, his gaze coming to rest on Duo. "But I guess four-and-a-half will have to do."

Duo narrowed his expressive eyes, opening his mouth for a scathing retort. But Heero stepped between him and his objective.

"I'm Heero Yuy. And you are—?"

"Reginald Darlian," said the tall boy, with a touch of arrogance in his voice.

Heero nodded once, giving no sign that he was at all impressed. "My friends here are Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Jase and Austin."

Reginald introduced his companions as Marco, Vance, Tony and Scott. Then he eyed Heero, clearly realizing he was the leader of the other group. "So, you want to flip for who gets the ball first?"

"Sure."

They quickly outlined the game rules; the area they had chosen was a field just behind the dorms, where there were no benches or plantings that might get damaged or interfere with their play. Figuring they didn't want to spend their entire afternoon at the game, they decided to play for two hours or until one team reached ten touchdowns. Both teams agreed on Jase as the referee, and that a two-handed touch would constitute a tackle; so within about fifteen minutes of meeting, they were lined up for a kickoff.

Having won the toss, Reginald's team had first possession, and from the moment the ball sailed into the air, the boys from Camp Peacecraft knew they were outclassed.

Reginald and his teammates had obviously been playing football together for a long time. They were all quick on their feet, in great shape, and clearly knew each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Not that the other boys were any less used to working as a team, but the game was new to them, and therefore they quickly fell behind by a touchdown.

"Well shit," Duo muttered as they went into a quick huddle to figure out the next play. "These guys are good."

Heero rolled his eyes. "You _knew _that, baka!"

"More or less," grumbled the braided boy.

"We're not going to beat them by conventional means," Quatre pointed out. "Duo—I noticed Reginald's blockers weren't taking you seriously. We need to get you into position for a pass. Trowa, they were all over you, so you'll have to draw them off Duo. And Austin…stick to Marco. He was the fastest of them."

"What about Reginald?"

"I'll cover him," Heero cut in quickly. "He's a quarterback. Offense may come easy to him—but defense is another thing all together. Until we know how well he plays it, I'll stick close to him."

"But not too close," Duo said quietly, darting his lover a vaguely jealous look.

Heero just snorted, shook his head, and jogged over to get the ball for the next play.

Now that they had possession of the ball, the boys from boot camp had no intention of being beaten. Austin snapped it to Heero, who dodged Marco and Vance, and faded back to look for an opening to pass.

Duo sprinted down one sideline, Tony hot on his heels, while Trowa wove his way past Scott and doubled back into the open. Heero's throw sent the ball spinning straight at the auburn-haired boy. And it would have connected if Reginald hadn't made a spectacular leap that allowed his fingers to just brush the football and send it out of bounds.

Heero just shook his head again, wondering how he'd let Duo talk him into such an exercise in futility.

As they were lining up for the next play, Quatre glanced at Heero. "Remember who to pass to, Heero. They've got too much coverage on Trowa."

Nodding once to show he understood, Heero got into position for the snap. And once again, Austin unerringly flipped the ball to the Japanese boy, and sprinted forward to act as interference for Duo so the braided boy could get clear.

This time Heero faked a pass to Trowa, and then threw to Duo, who caught the ball only to stumble as he landed, giving Reginald time to make the "tackle."

The broad-shouldered quarterback grinned smugly at the dirty look the braided boy gave him. "Welcome to _my_ world, Maxwell."

"We made a first down," Duo reminded him with a scowl, tossing the ball back to Heero as they gathered for the next play.

"And last," Reginald taunted, trotting back to his teammates.

From then on, the game got a little more intense, as Heero's team managed to make a touchdown and Reginald's team took it as a personal affront. After over an hour of nearly non-stop play, both groups were scuffed and sweaty—having tripped, fallen, collided, and crashed in their zealousness. No one was being deliberately rough, but in their eagerness to win, all ten boys seemed to have forgotten about personal discomfort, and had thrown themselves into the game as if their lives depended on it.

With Reginald's team ahead by three, and the score at nine to six, they took a time out to let everyone catch their breath.

"We're so fucked," Duo breathed wearily, sinking down onto the grass beside Jase. "There's no way we're gonna make back three points, let alone a fourth to win. Not against those guys."

"Might I remind you that you were the one who wanted to 'mop up the field' with 'Reggie-boy and his pals?'" Heero said snidely.

Duo glanced over at the other team, idly using the edge of his sleeve to mop the sweat from his face. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," he muttered grudgingly.

Trowa gave a short laugh. "That should be your catch-phrase, Maxwell."

"It is," Heero threw in rather bitterly.

"Hey—we're getting some good exercise, and lots of fresh air and sunshine," Quatre pointed out. "That's the main thing."

"Not for Duo." Heero stood looking down at his lover with a slight frown. "You really wanted to prove something to Darlian, didn't you?"

Duo shrugged. "He's an asshole is all. I'd have liked to take him down a notch."

Heero shook his head. "Then next time don't play his game. Make him play yours."

The braided boy looked up and smiled rather wanly. "Yeah, I know," he admitted. "But Quat's right. We _are_ getting a pretty good workout."

"You'll feel it tomorrow," Heero predicted, noticing the grass stains on Duo's knees and elbows.

"I feel it now," Quatre admitted, dabbing at a scraped knee.

Duo groaned and pushed himself back up to his feet. "I dunno about you guys—but I guess I'd like to get this over with."

When they took the field again, Heero and his teammates had possession of the ball, and hoped to close up the gap in scores. With that in mind, they tried once again to outmaneuver Reginald's skilled players.

For some reason, Reginald had taken to dogging Duo's every step, making sure the boy from L2 never got to complete a pass from Heero, and so Quatre was the one to receive the throw.

He nearly made it to the end zone, except that Marco slipped past Austin and tagged him short of the goal.

"Okay," Heero said in the huddle. "That got us a few yards. We'll try the same thing again."

Austin nodded. "Sorry Marco got past me that time, Quatre. I'll try to keep him off you a little longer."

"How 'bout keeping Reggie off me?" Duo muttered wearily. "That guy's relentless."

"I'd rather have him busy covering you," came Heero's quick response. "This time I'll try for Trowa—right down the center line."

They lined up again, started the play, and from the start it was clear that Reginald's team had anticipated the shift in strategy. They dogged Trowa's every move, and it was Duo who ended up wide open in the end zone.

But as Heero made the throw, he had a sudden flash of realization. Reginald had only pretended to ignore Duo's position, and now sprinted to intercept, snatching the ball out of midair and practically flying down the field in the opposite direction to make the winning touchdown.

"Aw, fuck," Duo muttered, slapping both hands over his face as he watched the boy he disliked so much make mincemeat of their team. The braided boy plodded dejectedly to his team leader, as did the rest of the beaten group. "I hate it when you're right, 'Ro," he sighed, stopping beside his lover.

Reginald turned and gave a cocky bow to his teammates, and cast a triumphant look at Heero's weary group. There was a calculating expression on his face as he walked closer, as if he expected some sort of confrontation.

Heero didn't give it to him. Instead he gave a wry half-smile and held out a hand graciously. "Good game."

A flicker of surprise crossed Reginald's face, and he took the proffered hand. "Yeah, you too. Not bad for a bunch of rookies."

Duo was standing half-turned away, arms crossed in front of him. He was determined not to admit that Reginald's team was very skilled at their game. He elbowed Heero hard enough to break the handshake, and glared. "C'mon, Yuy. I wanna get back to my dorm and put stuff away."

The warning look he got from the deep blue eyes told him he was pushing at a time Heero didn't want to be pushed. "In a sec, Maxwell."

Giving a frustrated huff, Duo stalked over and flopped down in the grass next to Jase, picking at a broken boot lace and starting to take it off, while on Jase's other side Quatre rolled up a pant leg to examine a skinned knee.

Reginald ran an appraising look over Heero. "Y'know, Yuy. You've got potential. Interested in trying out for the football team?"

Heero raised an eyebrow, the faintest hint of disbelief on his face. But he gave a wry smile. "Not really," he shrugged. "I'm not particularly into contact sports."

Duo was too busy trying to splice his broken boot lace to make a wisecrack about Heero and "contact sports."

"Well, if your teammates protect you well enough, there's very little contact involved," Reginald pointed out. He gestured towards Marco and the others. "I've got the best defense going."

"Thanks anyway," Heero said blandly, walking over to inspect Quatre's injury. The blonde boy had rolled up his pant leg to reveal a messy looking wound. "You should take a walk to the med-center for ointment and a bandaid," he suggested.

"I'll take him!" Duo volunteered, hopping to his feet. He wanted the chance to talk to his friend alone, and was hoping Trowa would take the hint.

The boy from the circus gave an almost imperceptible shrug as Quatre glanced his way, and so the blonde turned back to Duo. "Okay. Let's go." He and the braided boy walked off together.

Reginald gave a disparaging snort. "Well, now that the 'ladies' are gone, how 'bout the rest of us go to the C-Club for a soda? My treat."

Curbing the impulse to stuff a boot down Reginald's throat, Heero eyed him coldly. "What's the C-Club?"

"Cadet Club. It's next to the Officers' Club…serves soda and burgers and stuff. It's a nice change from mess hall food."

One of his friends spoke up then. "Why don't we take 'em to The Hangar?"

Reginald caught Heero's raised eyebrow. "That's a bar a few miles off campus. If you flash an Academy i.d. they don't ask you to prove your age." He gave a wry grin and a shrug. "One of the perks of a military school. They figure you'll be putting your life on the line pretty soon, so you ought to have the right to drink." He glanced back at his friend. "Not today, Marco. It's late and we've got classes."

"The Cadet Club sounds like a good idea," Austin spoke up, glancing at Jase for agreement.

Frowning a little, and giving Reginald a resentful look for the dig he'd made at Duo and Quatre, Jase nodded slowly. "I s'pose," he said noncommittally. "An' how about you, Yuy? Barton?"

"No," Heero replied firmly. "I'm going back to my dorm to get ready for astrophysics tomorrow."

Reginald did a double-take at that. "You got into astrophysics? That's a junior or senior course."

"Captain Chang had me take an entrance exam for it," Heero shrugged, resisting the urge to smirk triumphantly.

"Well I know a couple of seniors in there," Reginald told him. "Maybe I can introduce you sometime."

"Hn," Heero replied inscrutably.

Trowa coughed to cover a grin as he observed the Japanese boy's typically stoic response. "Uh, c'mon Heero. I'll tag along with you until Duo and Quatre get back."

They made their escape, heading for the dorm Heero and Quatre shared.

"Well, I think Darlian's trying to make friends with you," Trowa observed, glancing over at Heero's brooding expression.

"I fail to see why."

Trowa snorted at that. "Obviously he's already pegged you for a winner."

"Then he's incredibly short-sighted," Heero commented. "He overlooked the rest of you…especially Duo and Quatre." He shook his head. "I wouldn't trade any one of you for Reginald's pals."

"That's reassuring," came the dry response.

Heero scowled fleetingly. "You know what I mean. Those jocks may be great at football, and straight-A students, but I _know _what kind of substance you and Duo and Quatre have. Even Jase and Austin and the others would be better to have at your back than someone who's never known what real teamwork is." He glanced almost hesitantly at Trowa. "We shared something at boot camp that none of those spoiled rich kids could understand. I'm not saying they can't learn to be decent soldiers—but I'd have to know them a lot better than I do to trust them in a pinch."

"I dunno, Yuy. Y'get to know 'em better, you just might find out you trust them less, rather than more," Trowa pointed out. "I didn't much care for Darlian's attitude towards Duo and Quatre."

"Like I said, he's shallow and judgmental. I knew the moment I laid eyes on you guys at Peacecraft that each one of you had potential."

"Even Duo?" came the smirking response.

"Especially Duo," came an equally amused reply, and then both boys settled into a companionable silence.


	6. Bonding Time

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: I know this took forever…but first I was horribly overworked, and then I got the flu from Hell…spent a whole weekend in bed instead of writing. I'll do better, I promise! Future updates will _not _be this slow.

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Five: Bonding Time

Once they were out of earshot of the others, Quatre turned a curious gaze towards Duo. "So, why'd you want to get me alone?"

The braided boy shrugged slightly. "Mostly to tease you and find out what Trowa said after I named you the ultimate Master of Strategy."

"That was—private."

"C'mon, Quat!" Duo chided. "We got no secrets—you an' me." His indigo eyes narrowed warily. "Do we?"

Quatre thought back to boot camp, and the long talks they'd had about their respective lovers, especially after Heero had been hauled off to L1 to be tried for his guardian's murder. He'd been trying to distract Duo at the time—take his mind off his worries—but in truth, they really did open up to each other.

"Oh fine!" Quatre growled. "He just said I could be _his _master any day, okay? And if you tell him I told you, I'll have to kill you."

Duo laughed in delight. "Man, I wish he'd said that out loud. I could've had a field day." He elbowed his friend conspiratorially. "So does that mean you guys are into—um—bondage and shit?"

"No!" Quatre squeaked, eyes widening. "We've never—. We wouldn't—."

"Aw, c'mon. Don't knock it 'til you try it," Duo suggested with a teasing leer.

Quatre mock-scowled in response. "Speaking from experience, Maxwell? Hm?"

Duo just gave a short bark of laughter and shook his head. "With all the times I've ended up in handcuffs, Quat, they are definitely not a turn-on for me." He glanced at his friend. "I s'pose they wouldn't dare put cuffs on a Winner."

Quatre snorted wryly. "My father always seemed to know the arresting officers personally."

"Figures. So you've never enjoyed the experience of handcuffs."

"Just once, when I—." The blonde stopped abruptly, and cast a sidelong glance at his friend. "I got in a fight the first time I was in juvenile detention; they put me in restraints _that _time."

"Ah." Duo smirked slightly. "Is that what you meant about having a rough go of it?"

Quatre sighed. "I might've known you'd pick up on that. Yeah, I had a—a hard time at first."

"Sweet looking kid like you, that doesn't surprise me," Duo commiserated. He ran a practiced eye over his friend. "How many of 'em ganged up on you?"

"Four."

"How bad did they rough you up?"

Quatre shook his head, his frown deepening. "I put them all in the hospital," he said rather faintly.

Duo stopped, his jaw dropping open in amazement. "Seriously?"

"It's not something I'm proud of," Quatre muttered, turning to face the braided boy. "I totally lost it, Duo. I barely even remember the whole thing—I was so out of my mind." There was a glimmer of self-loathing in the aquamarine eyes. "They cornered me in the showers—and I panicked. I—guess I was scared—of what they might do. And then I got angry." He shrugged slightly. "Next thing I knew, I'd beaten the living shit out of them. Two of them had broken bones, and three of the four needed stitches."

"Shit, Quatre—what'd you use for a weapon?" Duo asked.

"My hands."

Indigo eyes widened impossibly. "You have got to be shittin' me. You beat up four bullies in a shower—without any weapons at all?"

Quatre nodded gravely. "That's why I ended up at Peacecraft. They were gonna throw the book at me—add assault and battery to the sentence I already had. The psychologist said I had repressed anger issues."

"_You_?" Duo shook his head. "Quat, you're about the mildest-mannered guy I know."

"I know that," Quatre sighed. "But something sure made me snap that day, and I hope I never lose my temper like that again."

"Me too," Duo teased, grinning. He shook his head as they started off for the infirmary again. "Man, I know _I _had a reputation for being tougher than I looked. But I never dreamed you'd be in the same boat."

"I told Kushrenada that people often underestimated me—at their own peril," Quatre smirked back, relaxing a little.

Duo chuckled. "I wish I could've been a fly on the wall for the part where you convinced him I'd stolen Trowa from you and that you wanted to hang me out to dry for it." He was referring to their desperate plan back in boot camp, to lure the hated warden into a trap designed to draw him out of his office so Quatre and Heero could hack his computer for incriminating evidence. They'd carried out an elaborate ruse, in which Heero and Quatre played Duo and Trowa's jilted lovers—a ruse that, while it fooled Kushrenada, put their own relationships to the test.

Of course, they'd passed that test and the team had come out even stronger and more unified after Kushrenada tried to kill Captain Chang, Duo and Trowa. And now, while the boys were attending the Academy, the vindictive warden was serving time for the attempted murders, drug dealing, and conspiracy to murder Heero's guardian.

"I never knew I could act that well," Quatre conceded, looking a trifle smug.

"I did," Duo assured him. "Those big blue eyes and that silky golden hair are absolutely the mark of a true con man."

"Duo!"

"Seriously, Quat. If I'd had a partner like you on L2, I'd never have had to pick pockets; we could've conned people out of the fillings in their teeth."

Quatre laughed and shook his head. "It's time to put that all behind you, Duo. We're cadets now—soon to be soldiers—mobile suit pilots."

"Sure," Duo shrugged. "Right after we get you a bandaid for your boo-boo, right?"

"Right." Quatre glanced down at his bloody knee. "You sorry we got beat?" he asked quietly.

Duo shrugged. "Yeah. But I s'pose I shouldn't have been surprised. It's not like I ever played the game before."

"Really?" Quatre asked in surprise. "I thought you did great. The way you ran the ball, and slipped through the defense…"

Duo smirked at that. "Well, it's not entirely unlike living on the streets, Quat. Kinda like dodging a couple of cops with a loaf of bread tucked under your arm…"

Quatre darted him a worried look. "Did you really?"

The braided boy sighed. "Stop with the pity, Winner. Yeah, I stole to eat sometimes. So did lots of other kids. It's just the way it was—_is_. It's not your fault, and there's nothing you can do about it, okay? So don't feel bad for the way things are."

The blonde nodded, still looking preoccupied.

"I suppose now you're trying to think of a way to help the economic situation on L2," Duo chided.

He saw the blue eyes brighten at that. "Not a bad idea, now that you mention it," Quatre mused. "I wonder if my father's ever thought of branching out."

Duo laughed aloud. "God, Quat—next you'll be blaming yourself for the lack of air in space." He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "First things first. We get your knee fixed up, learn how to pilot mobile suits, and then we can worry about saving the colonies, okay?"

* * *

Doctor Po looked up in surprise as Duo and Quatre walked into the infirmary. "Oh, Duo!" she said in dismay. "You've barely been here twenty-four hours—."

"Not me, doc," Duo said with a charming grin. "It's my buddy Quatre this time. He's got a knee that looks like mine did after scaling that cliff back in boot camp."

She rolled her eyes, and gestured Quatre into her little exam room. Duo tagged along uninvited, and leaned in the doorway.

"How'd you manage this?" asked the woman, efficiently rolling up the pant leg and examining the scrape.

"Playing touch football," Quatre admitted with a tiny grimace as the doctor dabbed a clean cloth on the wound.

"Well, I hope you won," she sighed, getting up and going to the sink for warm water. When neither boy responded, she looked questioningly at Duo.

He scowled in reply. "We got our asses kicked," he muttered sullenly, "—by Reginald Fucking Darlian and his pals."

"Oh." The doctor poured a little betadine in the water and started gently rinsing Quatre's knee.

"You don't sound surprised," Duo noted.

"I'm not. Reginald's football team is pretty much unbeatable."

"No shit."

She gave a shrug as she dried the wound and dabbed on antibiotic ointment. Within moments, she had the knee wrapped in gauze, and rolled the pant leg down to cover it. "Just take it easy tonight, and leave it wrapped until the next time you shower," ordered the doctor. "I'll give you some ointment and a box of extra large bandaids you can put on to keep it covered a few days. By then it should be fine." She gathered the aforementioned items, and handed them to Quatre.

He hopped off the examination table, gingerly flexing the leg. "Thanks, Doctor Po. It feels much better now."

"Any time," she said warmly.

He started for the door, and Duo looked past him to the doctor. "What? No lollipop for being brave?"

She gave the braided boy a look, rolling her eyes. "For Heaven's sake, Duo. This is a military base. Do you really think they give me a budget for lollipops?"

"They oughta." He turned to follow Quatre, and Doctor Po stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. "Can you spare a minute, Duo?" she asked quietly. "Quatre can wait outside."

Duo frowned a little, and nodded to Quatre. "Go on ahead. I'll be right there." He waited until the door closed behind his friend, and turned to face the doctor with his arms crossed stubbornly. "C'mon, doc. You had me here yesterday for check-in. I told ya—the nightmares haven't been back."

"I just wanted to make sure," she said firmly. The doctor had been the one who treated Duo for the injuries done him by the brutal guard at boot camp. She'd seen him through that crisis and its aftermath, and had kept an eye on him ever since. Her motherly attitude towards him hadn't abated one bit. "This is a stressful environment, and doubly so for someone with your background," she pointed out.

"I slept like a baby last night, even though Chang made sure I was alone."

She raised an eyebrow curiously.

"He escorted Yuy back to his own dorm," Duo clarified. "But honestly, I slept fine." He shrugged slightly. "Granted, I was pretty worn out after traveling all day and getting checked in. But I really think I'm over the bad stuff. Honest."

She studied his face searchingly, and then nodded. "I think so too," she conceded. "But I want a promise from you." A brief smile crossed her face. "I know if you make a promise, you'll keep it."

"Damn straight."

"I want you to promise me that if you _do _have nightmares again, or any difficulty at all in dealing with the stress of life here, you'll come to me and let me help."

He considered for a moment, his gaze dropping to the floor. He knew the doctor only spoke out of genuine concern and affection—but his independent streak ran pretty deep. "Look, doc…" He peered up at her from under the fringe of his bangs. "I'll tell you what. Back in boot camp, 'Ro and the others got me through some tough nights. And I trust them to do it again, if I need it. But if there's a problem they can't help me with, I _will _come to you, okay?"

It was her turn to mull it over. And then she nodded in return. "Good enough. As long as I know you're not trying to tough it out alone, it sets my mind at ease." She gave him a warm smile. "I've got a soft spot for you and your teammates, y'know."

He snorted wryly. "Pretty obvious, doc."

"Be sure to tell the others that my door is always open to them, too."

"Sure." Duo ducked his head shyly. "Thanks."

He made a hasty escape, joining Quatre outside.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah—Doc Po just wanted to make sure I'm sleepin' okay," Duo admitted.

"I always said you were the doctor's pet," Quatre teased.

"Oh, like you aren't?" came the quick riposte.

"But not like _you_."

"That's why she said to say her door's always open for any of us," Duo told him.

"Did she really?"

Duo's snide expression was answer enough.

"She's a nice lady," Quatre decided firmly.

They made their way to Mars, and Quatre led the way to Heero's room, which was only a couple of doors down from his own.

"Knock knock!" Duo called loudly, opening the door quickly, as if hoping to catch their boyfriends at something they shouldn't be doing.

He stopped just inside, hands on hips, and a disappointed look on his face. Heero was bent over his laptop, with Trowa leaning on the back of his chair looking over his shoulder. They were both deeply ensconced in studying the blueprints on the screen.

Duo exchanged a look with Quatre. "Sheesh—their concern for your health overwhelms me." He sidled up behind Heero, draping his arms around his lover's shoulders. "Don't ya wanna know what the doctor said?"

"It was a skinned knee," Heero replied absently, keying up another screen. "I expect she cleaned it up, put antibiotic ointment on it, and wrapped it in gauze."

"Well, yeah." Duo let one hand inch down and toy with a button on Heero's shirt. "What's so interesting on that damned computer screen anyway?"

"Mobile suit blueprints," Trowa spoke up. He'd straightened and slipped an arm around Quatre's waist, while never taking his eyes from the picture on the monitor. "Shit—will you look at that?"

Duo heaved a frustrated sigh, and looked at the screen, his eyes widening at once. "Whoa. They never showed us those at boot camp."

"Uh-uh," Heero said with a smug tone of voice. "These are the very latest. Prototypes."

"Who gets to pilot those?" demanded the braided boy.

"Whoever qualifies," Heero answered. "So far no one in the training program has been able to handle the controls. Too responsive for most pilots." He glanced up at the suddenly intent expression on his lover's face. "Merquise, Chang, and a couple of senior instructors are about the only ones who've taken them for a test run and succeeded."

"Ohhhh." Duo's voice came out in a longing drawl. "Lemme at 'em."

Heero smiled that small, intimate smile that made Duo's knees weak. "You'll get your chance, love. Chang told me that by the end of the first semester, they will have selected a handful of students with aptitude enough to enter the Prototype Program."

"Talk about incentive!"

"Is that why you turned Darlian down when he suggested you try for the team?" Quatre asked.

"I turned him down because I have no interest in playing football and being a campus star," Heero said flatly. "I'm here to learn to pilot mobile suits—preferably the most advanced ones they've got."

"You an' me both," Duo chimed in.

"Hey—us too!" Quatre blurted, leaning against Trowa.

Heero shut down the computer, turning in his seat to face his friends. "Glad to know we've all got the same goal here. We can help each other succeed."

Duo eyed him suspiciously. "Why do I get the feeling that means you're gonna be on my case to study non-stop?"

"I'll give you time out for meals, showers and sleep," Heero said with a straight face.

"How generous," came the sarcastic reply. Duo leaned in closer. "What about sex?"

The amused glimmer in Heero's deep blue eyes grew more pronounced. "So long as it's combined with showers, it shouldn't cut into your study time too much."

The braided boy jerked away sharply. "Are you kidding?" He frowned warily. "You _are_ kidding, right? You better be kidding, Yuy."

Heero stood up and stretched. "Almost time for supper, isn't it guys?"

"Yuy!"

"Yes, I think it is," Trowa replied calmly, his face as unreadable as Heero's.

"Yuy!" Duo snapped sternly. "Tell me you were kidding."

"Oh, hey! Before we go to dinner, I have to get something!" Quatre blurted. "You three wait here. I'll be right back!" He dashed out, leaving all three boys staring blankly after him.

"Tro'? You got any idea what Quat's up to?" Duo asked.

"Not a clue."

While they waited, Duo took a moment to stroll around Heero's room and familiarize himself. It was just like his, except that it was meticulously organized. From the tidy desk and the neatly made bed, to the arrangement of toothpaste, toothbrush and comb on the back of the sink, it was perfectly orderly.

In a word, it was exactly as Duo would have pictured it. He smirked to himself as he made his tour, arriving once more beside his lover just as Quatre burst back in the door.

The blonde had a bag in his hands, and he set it carefully on Heero's bed, turning to face three curious faces. "Okay. Remember graduation day? My sisters took about a million pictures?"

When they nodded, he turned around and pulled three paper-wrapped bundles from the bag. He handed one to each of his friends, absolutely glowing with satisfaction. "I thought we each needed a nice framed picture of the four of us."

Duo was the first to unwrap his, and the way the indigo eyes lit up, Quatre knew he was pleased. "Shit, man! It's perfect."

"Wow," Trowa added, a rare smile gracing his face. "Yeah—perfect."

"Absolutely," Heero agreed.

The pictures were identical, though each frame was a slightly different shade of bluish-black. In the photo Quatre and Duo were centered, each with an arm thrown over the other's shoulders. Heero was on Duo's other side, his arm stretched across the braided boy's back and barely reaching Quatre's shoulder. Likewise, on Quatre's other side Trowa had an arm thrown across, ending with his fingers resting on Duo. Captain Chang was on Heero's other side, close but not quite touching, looking at the four boys with the warmest expression they'd ever seen on his stern face.

"God, Heero—you look _hot _in this," Duo murmured, running a finger down the glass as he studied the slight smirk on his lover's face, and the glimmer in the blue eyes. The photographer had caught each one of them with a truly genuine smile and an obvious affection in their expressions.

"Irea did an awesome job, didn't she?" Quatre asked, beaming with delight at their reactions. "I've got more in a scrapbook we can look at when we get the time to hang out together."

"She's a very skilled photographer," Heero noted. "The lighting was perfect, and she caught everyone at their best."

"She caught the spirit of Team Wing," Trowa said quietly, his smile mirroring the one in the picture looking back at him. He looked up at Quatre with slightly too-bright green eyes. "This is the best gift ever, Quatre."

The blonde blushed at the praise, melting up against Trowa as the auburn-haired boy wrapped an arm around him. "All I did was have them blown up and framed. Irea's the one with the talent."

"I so owe that girl," Duo grinned. "First s'mores, and now this." He ran his fingers caressingly over the frame. "I never had a picture like this—nice enough to hang on a wall. Not that I ever had a wall to hang one on. But shit; all I've got of Hilde and Howard is a little wallet-sized, dog-eared picture. This one's—well, it's _art_." He shook his head. "Wait'll I see that sister of yours again, Quat. I may have to kiss her."

"I don't think so," Heero said quickly, with a flash of a scowl. "I might not mind a hug—but your kisses are supposed to be spoken for, Maxwell."

"Aw, 'Ro—just checkin' to see if you were paying attention," Duo teased, running a hand through his lover's untidy hair. "Gotta keep you on your toes."

Heero shook his head, and then looked at Quatre with a smile. "Thanks very much, Quatre. I'll treasure this picture—and obviously Trowa and Duo will too." He took his gift and walked over to his bureau, setting it beside a picture he already had.

Dou followed his path, eyes settling on the shot of Heero and Wufei. He realized that in the picture both men looked younger, although Wufei was in an MSC uniform. "'Ro? When was that one taken?"

"The year Wufei enlisted," replied the Japanese boy, smiling at the recollection. "I guess about four years ago."

"You would've been fourteen…" Duo walked over to study the picture, smiling slightly. "And you were still a knock-out, weren't ya?"

"Maxwell—."

Duo laughed, sliding an arm around his lover's waist. "Say what you will, Yuy. But, God you must've been the most adorable baby ever."

Heero cast a despairing look at Trowa and Quatre, who were both smirking irrepressibly. "Isn't it about time to head to the mess hall?"

"Absolutely," Trowa agreed. "Could we swing by Saturn so I can leave my picture in my room? I don't want to carry it around."

"Of course," Quatre answered for them all.

"I'll leave mine here," Duo said, setting it beside Heero's, and turning a sly glance towards the dark-haired boy. "It'll give me an excuse to come back later." _And stay._

"You don't need an excuse," Heero told him, so matter-of-factly that Duo's face lit up.

"Aw, Yuy, you say the sweetest things," he murmured.

Heero's small, wry snort didn't detract from the warm smile he ducked his head to hide, as he turned towards the door.

As they headed out, Quatre dropped back beside Trowa, allowing Heero and Duo to walk ahead by several feet. "You really like the picture?"

"I told you I did," Trowa assured him. "When I said it was the best gift ever, I meant it." A vague frown crossed his face, as the thought crossed his mind that if the four boys were separated by war, it might be the only memento they had of each other…at least until they were reunited. Or _if _they were, he thought bleakly.

Quatre caught the shift in his mood immediately, and cast a worried glance at him. "Are you okay?"

Knowing of his lover's empathic talent, Trowa didn't bother trying to lie about his feelings. "Yeah—just thinking about what Merquise said about a war being imminent."

"He didn't say 'imminent,'" Quatre said soothingly. "And even if it were, there's no certainty that they'd send us. We'd at least have to be able to pilot real suits first."

Trowa nodded, realizing Quatre had a point.

"I feel the same way though," Quatre added perceptively. "Having found friends like Duo and Heero—and someone like you—I'd hate to be apart so soon."

The boy from the circus gave a reluctant smile. "Damn it, Quatre. How do you always know exactly what I'm thinking?" His green eyes narrowed warily. "You can't really read minds, right?"

"No—as I said before—only moods and feelings. But I could sense loneliness in you, and when you mentioned the possibility of war, I guessed it was the chance that we'd be separated that had you worried." His own gaze traveled to the two boys ahead of them, talking quietly and walking close together. "To be honest with you, I worry about how _they'd_ handle it even more."

Trowa snorted wryly. "Don't even go there. After all it took for them to get together—don't even suggest tearing them apart."

"Never," Quatre agreed. "Now, can we just focus on the positive again? We're here together—all four of us—and tomorrow we start training. It's going to be great."

* * *

The rest of the evening passed on a more upbeat note, as they shared a pleasant meal in the mess hall, and then headed for their dorms. Trowa and Quatre went back to the former acrobat's room, while Duo tagged along with Heero as promised.

The braided boy didn't even wait for the door to finish closing, before he all but threw himself into Heero's arms, kissing him almost desperately.

Heero returned the passionate gesture, sliding his arms around the slim waist, and pulling his lover closer, reveling in the taste and smell and feel of him. "Mmm…planning on staying here tonight, are you?" he asked when they paused for breath.

"That's entirely up to you," Duo murmured, his breath hot against Heero's neck. "It's your room."

"My room…my lover…yeah, I guess I own it all," teased the other boy, his fingers tracing lazily across Duo's back.

"How about _your _bed?" came the quick response.

"That too."

"How about putting _me _in your bed?" Duo specified. "Y'know? You…me…a complete lack of clothing…" He followed the suggestion with another kiss, melting into the embrace.

Heero, ever the voice of reason, pulled away slightly. "Let me lock the door, hm? Privacy."

Duo grinned wickedly at him. "It'll be kind of a novelty having the door locked from _this _side, won't it?"

Heero couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "So will having more than five minutes, and _not _having to worry about interruptions the whole time." He made sure the door was secure, and turned around to find Duo sprawled enticingly across his bed, already working loose the buttons on his shirt. "No! Let me," he said quickly, crossing the room and kneeling on the bed beside the prone boy. "Let me," he said in a lower, more seductive voice.

Duo looked up through half-lidded eyes. "Like unwrapping your own presents, do you?"

"That's half the fun," came the smirking reply, as Heero took over the unbuttoning of Duo's shirt, his deft fingers brushing lightly along the soft skin underneath as he did.

Duo shivered a little under the gentle touch, and looked up from under his bangs almost shyly. "Y'make me feel like—like it's more than just—."

"It is. Much more," Heero said huskily. Having finished opening the front of the shirt, he slid his hands inside, running them across smooth, hard muscle and licking his lips almost hungrily. "Every time I touch you is special to me."

"_God_!" Duo whispered, looking adoringly up at Heero. "You—you just—." His voice trailed off and he shook his head slightly.

Heero sat back, looking down at him with a smirk. "At a loss for words, Maxwell?" He leaned in for a kiss, pausing to add, "'S okay—I'll have you screaming in a few minutes."

It was more like an hour—but between muffling their groans and gasps against each other's skin and taking advantage of unlimited time and privacy—they wouldn't have known if it were ten.

In fact, when the tap on the door startled them both out of the warm, drowsy embrace that a bout of intense sex left them in, even Duo was too satisfied and lethargic to curse.

"Who _is _it?" Heero called a bit irritably.

"Uh—Quatre. There's a dorm meeting in about fifteen minutes," he called through the closed door. "Thought you might like time to—freshen up?"

"Yeah—like you and Tro' needed?" Duo called teasingly.

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Quatre chuckled helplessly. "I just left his dorm a few minutes ago," he admitted. "I saw the note for the meeting in the laundry room when I stopped to throw a few things in the wash."

"I'll be right there," Heero sighed, disentangling himself from his lover reluctantly.

Duo gave a brief pout, and sat up with a groan. "Here I was hoping for a second round," he lamented.

"You had seconds," came the swift reply.

"But you didn't, yet."

"We've got lots of time for that," Heero promised. "Let's get cleaned up so I can go to the meeting." He eyed his bed critically. "I suppose I'll need to throw some laundry in, too."

Duo grinned unrepentantly. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

The two boys washed up quickly, got dressed, and stripped down the bed so Heero could launder that particular set of sheets while using the spares. By the time they were ready to leave, they'd lost the rosy glow of passion—but the kiss they shared before opening the door nearly started it all over again.

"You want to come to the meeting with me and then come back here?" Heero asked, pulling open the door.

Duo sighed, picking up his framed picture from Quatre. "Much as I'd like that, it being a 'school night' I should probably get back to my own dorm." He scowled a little, glaring down at his boots. "Y'know, it sucks to be responsible, Yuy."

"But it's a good look for you," Heero told him, edging over to run a hand across his lover's cheek. "You're pretty sexy when you're being conscientious."

That drew a skeptical snort from the braided boy, who leaned in for a quick kiss. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course. But probably not until lunch—I've got classes all morning."

"Me, too. Figured I'd grab a protein bar or something for breakfast. I'll probably be too uptight to eat anything else." Duo gave a slightly unsteady grin. "Y'know me an' my nerves…"

Heero pulled him close, running his hands soothingly up the lean, muscular arms. "There's nothing for you to be nervous about, Duo Maxwell. You're smart and charming and talented—you'll be the best student this academy's ever had, and the best mobile suit pilot in history."

"Next t'you," Duo smirked back relaxing into the embrace and sighing in pleasure.

"Of course," Heero deadpanned.

Duo pulled back, laughing and scowling at the same time. "Arrogant prick," he muttered.

"Cocky little sonofabitch," came the quick reply.

They made their way down the hall, and as they descended the stairs, Heero saw several other residents of the dorm starting to gather in the common room. He gave Duo a parting smile, and the braided boy waved a farewell to Quatre before dashing out the door to head for his own dorm.

When he got there, of course there was a similar meeting about to start; apparently every dorm scheduled a meet and greet hour the night before classes began.

Seeing Austin Pritchard on one of the couches, Duo happily plunked down beside him. "Hey, Austin. All set for the big day tomorrow?"

"You know it," replied the green-eyed boy. He studied Duo for a moment, and then a knowing smirk touched his lips. "Just came from Yuy's, didn't you?"

Duo blushed, looking studiously at the worn blue carpeting under their feet. "So we hung out for a bit after dinner," he shrugged. Then he held out the framed picture. "Look what Quatre got us all!" Proud of the picture, and the distraction it provided from discussing his sex life with someone who'd admitted to a crush on him a couple of months before, Duo unwrapped it and showed it to the other boy from boot camp.

"Wow. Nice."

"Yeah, his sister took the picture. Come to think of it, he mentioned a scrapbook, too. I'll have to ask if she got a shot of all of us graduates," Duo mused.

"That'd be great," Austin replied.

"Speaking of the old gang—how 'bout you and Jase?" Duo asked slyly. "Are you officially an item?"

"Hell Maxwell, we only really started thinking that way after Yuy told Jase how I backed you guys up over the whole 'Norton' thing. We haven't seen each other enough to be 'together' the way you're talking."

"But you like him."

"Sure." Austin gave Duo a sidelong look. "You okay with that?"

"Yeah, I am," Duo shrugged. "If I hadn't been stupid for Yuy from the moment I laid eyes on him, I'd have never let a guy like Jase slip through my fingers." He smirked wryly. "You either, most likely."

Austin snorted skeptically. "Right, Maxwell—like you'd have given me a second chance after my team and I were total assholes to you from the start?"

"News flash, Austin," came the quick, smirking reply. "Heero was an asshole to me from the start."

A brief, rueful chuckle escaped the sandy-haired boy. "If I'd only known you found that endearing—."

"Annoying."

"And yet you're _with_ the lucky sonofabitch."

"Still haven't figured that out myself," Duo sighed, a wistful smile tugging at his lips. "But I can be patient. No matter how long it takes, some day I'll figure out what I find so irresistible about him."

"And enjoy every minute of it, too."

They both fell silent as things quieted down and one of the older students took charge of the information session. It didn't last long—just the usual run-down of laundry protocol, who to contact if a vending machine malfunctioned, and rules of courtesy about noise after quiet hours. Each boy had to stand up and give a brief introduction including at least his name and room number, so by the end of the meeting they were all familiar faces. Of course Duo and Austin already knew Cooper, who gave them both a friendly grin during his little introduction. And from the reception he received, they caught on that he was well-liked among the dorm residents, and already known to most of them…probably a good person to start off knowing.

The meeting was brief—all of a half an hour or so—and when it ended and Duo stood up to stretch, he caught sight of Captain Chang leaning against the wall just inside the doorway.

"Catch ya later, Pritchard," he said, picking up his framed picture. "Looks like my guardian's here to check up on me."

Austin followed his gaze over to the Captain, who gave a curt nod. "Shit, Maxwell—better you than me." He slapped Duo on the back of the shoulder and headed off for his own room.

Duo sauntered over to Wufei, smirking a bit as he saluted smartly.

"Maxwell."

"Cap'n," came the cheeky reply. "What brings you here?"

"Actually, I looked for you at Yuy's dorm—but he said you'd decided to turn in early."

"Yeah, that six o'clock wakeup's gonna be a bitch—sir."

The officer smiled, slipping an arm around Duo's shoulders and steering him down the hallway towards his room. "I'm proud of you, Maxwell."

"Me? Why? What'd I do?" came the perplexed babble.

"You seem serious about succeeding here, and that pleases me," Wufei replied simply.

"I am serious," Duo admitted. "This place is awesome, Captain. It's the best a street rat like me ever had it…three meals a day and a roof over my head…helluva nice roof, too." He gestured around his room as he opened the door and they stepped inside.

"But you'll be working hard," cautioned the Chinese man. "Facing a lot of challenges…"

"Yeah, an' staying alive long enough to find my next meal wasn't a challenge?" Duo countered.

Wufei's expression softened. "It pains me to even think about how hard survival was for you as a child."

Duo gave a wry snort. "I was never a child."

Wufei just shook his head. "That fact pains me as well."

"Aw, don't get all sappy on me, Cap'n," Duo insisted. "That's old history anyway. I'm an MSC cadet now—no matter where I started out."

"That you are," Wufei replied with obvious satisfaction, leaning comfortably in the doorway.

"And I plan to live up to your expectations," Duo said, without his usual teasing tone. "I'd like to keep making you proud of me, y'know."

The Captain's sharp eyes darted an appraising look at the boy. "You will. I don't doubt that for a moment." A faint crease appeared in his forehead. "What I find both surprising and heartening is the fact that you didn't just come here to be near Yuy…did you?"

Duo blinked in surprise.

"You came for the mobile suits, didn't you? And because you found something you excel at that's _legal_…that you can be proud of."

Duo blushed, looking away uncomfortably at the praise. "Don't jump to conclusions, Chang. I'd do damn near anything to be with Heero."

"Yes—but the fact that you'd part from him to get a good night's sleep says to me that you have the self-discipline to put your studies ahead of your social life."

Duo gave a wicked grin, regaining his composure in a flash. "Y'mean my sex life, Wuffers?" he teased. "Don't worry about that. Heero an' I may have had to take a rain check on a whole night together—but that doesn't mean we missed out completely."

Wufei winced. "Maxwell—I _don't _want to know!"

"Aw, c'mon—I'll tell you about me an' Heero, and you can tell me all about your big, blonde stud."

Wufei's face darkened, though it was hard to tell if it was anger or embarrassment written across it. He glanced behind him at the closed door. "Enough!" he said sharply. "We won't talk about either!"

Duo had flopped down across his bed when he started the joking, but he rolled over and put his chin in his hands, his face turning serious. "It's okay, 'Fei—I know better than to 'out' you an' the Major to anyone here…no fraternization, right? And I know you're kinda hesitant about this whole thing. Heero told me you never considered that you might be gay—or bi—or whatever."

He saw a scowl start to darken the Chinese man's brow and shook his head earnestly. "No we weren't talking about you—just—it's something I picked up on in passing. Okay? But what you've got to look at is the _person _you care about—not their gender. Is that person someone who's got all the things you find lacking in yourself? Do they make you feel like together you could do _anything_? Take on the whole world and win? Cuz no one but Heero ever made me feel like that before. That's how I knew it was more than lust with him. And that's how I knew I couldn't let him slip through my fingers without at least trying."

Wufei's expression softened a bit, and he shook his head. "Damn it, Maxwell. Sometimes you say something so—wise—that it just amazes me."

Duo grinned brilliantly. "Does that mean I can have your permission to date Heero—dad?"

"And then you follow it up with complete nonsense," sighed Wufei in mock despair. "You know you'll be eighteen in a few weeks, so it won't matter. You won't need my permission."

"But I'd like to have it," Duo insisted. "You may be my guardian—but you're Heero's best friend. And I know we joke around about it—but if I thought you really were against him being with me—it'd—bother me."

Realization dawned on Wufei's face. "Ah. You aren't asking if as your guardian, I'd approve of his seeing you—you're asking if as his friend, I'd approve of _your_ seeing _him_."

Duo shrugged a little, looking down at the picture he'd set beside him on the bed. But he looked up quickly at the sound of a hearty laugh from Wufei.

"Oh, Maxwell—you endearing little brat!" Wufei nearly had to wipe a tear of hilarity from his eyes. "Of course I approve. You and Yuy deserve each other completely!"

Duo eyed him suspiciously. "Why do I feel like maybe you just insulted us both?"

"Because maybe I did," came the vague reply. The Captain pushed away from the wall, glancing at the clock. "Enough chatter, Maxwell. It's late and you need to sleep. I'll check up on you later in the week."

"I'm sure you will," sighed Duo with mock dismay. "Love ya too, Wuffers."

Wufei left with an amused smirk on his lips.


	7. Out of the Frying Pan

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: So sorry for all the time this took. Life's been terribly draining, and once again, I refuse to post for this story if I feel the work is substandard. It has so much to live up to, and that makes it harder than anything I've written before. Thanks to Kaeru Shisho for helping me with some important details of this chapter, and thanks to all who keep prodding; the encouragement/nagging helps.

Tanya Potter has been particularly patient and supportive, and is quite good with a cattle prod! This chapter's for her, along with a promise to try to _never_ go so long between updates again!

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Six: Out of the Frying Pan

Duo was awake before dawn, jerking out of a sound sleep and blinking warily into the darkness of his room, taking a moment to orientate himself. There was a split-second when his mind tried to take him back to L2 and a musty mattress in an abandoned warehouse. But as he came fully awake, the soft glow of the alarm clock's display reflecting off the treasured picture from Quatre brought him quickly to the here and now.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and knowing he'd never get back to sleep now that he knew it was less than a half an hour before the alarm was set to go off. Instead, he slipped from under the covers, relishing the feel of the clean sheets across his skin and the warm carpet beneath his feet. This wasn't L2. He didn't have to wake up to the same dismal existence he'd pushed into his past.

By the time he stood and stretched, he was smiling contentedly, realizing he had extra time for a hot shower to refresh him and prepare for the day. He felt more like a million bucks right then, than if he'd been in one of Quatre's family vaults. Life was good.

When the sun rose shortly thereafter and alarms began to go off in rooms all across the campus, Duo's brief, tranquil awakening became a thing of the past. There was a mixture of chaos, excitement, and tension in the air as the base came alive with activity. And by the time the braided boy was gathering his books and snatching a protein bar off his nightstand, he was wound about as tight as he could possibly be without snapping like an overstretched rubber band.

He stepped out of his room to hear voices up and down the hall, calling greetings and messages to one another with a familiarity that made him momentarily miss boot camp and the comfortable routine he'd been a part of.

"Hey, Maxwell, right on time, eh?" came Jase's teasing voice.

Duo grinned at his fellow L2 native. "What're you doing here, Carroll? Walking Pritchard to class his first day so he doesn't get lost?"

"Maybe," Jase hedged, glancing over his shoulder expectantly. "Maybe I came to carry _your _books, sweetie."

"Fat chance," Duo drawled, shaking his head as Austin walked up behind Jase, giving him an elbow to the ribs.

"Tired of me already, Jase?"

"God, you two!" Duo said with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "Can't you save the flirting for sometime we don't have to rush to classes?"

"Who's rushing?" Jase asked with a grin. "The way I see it, we've got time for breakfast."

Duo shook his head. "Can't eat." He held up the protein bar. "This is about all I'll be able to stomach until I settle in a bit and feel like they won't suddenly remember I'm a street rat from L2 who doesn't deserve to be here."

Jase shook his head. "If you don't deserve it after what you went through to get here, no one does, Duo."

"I know," Duo shrugged. "Gimme a day or two and I'll be my normal overconfident self. But today is just plain intimidating."

"More intimidating than realizing who the warden was the first day at Peacecraft?"

"Oh." Duo could clearly remember the sensation of his stomach falling to his feet at the sight of the hated warden that day. "When you put it that way—." He relaxed enough to tag along with Austin and Jase to get a cup of coffee at the mess hall, though he was still too excited to eat. And although he didn't see any of his former teammates during the brief time he spent there, he didn't let it discourage him.

He showed up at his first class with five minutes to spare, walking cautiously into the classroom labeled "weapons training," and looking around for a vacant seat. He'd barely slid into one when the training officer strolled briskly past and tossed a briefcase onto the table at the front of the room.

"Lieutenant Lareau?"

The officer turned, grinning widely at the sight of the boy. "Well, Maxwell! Long time no see, kid."

"You're our instructor?" Duo asked eagerly. "The schedule didn't list a name."

"Yeah, you're stuck with me until you can field strip a mobile suit rifle and sidearm blindfolded in under two minutes."

Duo smirked cockily. "What'll I do with the rest of the semester—sir?"

Lareau gave a short laugh. "God, I'm gonna have fun with you in this class."

"D'you still assign thirteen laps for tardiness?"

"For you, kid—twenty," came the quick response.

As the room filled up and other cadets took their seats, the officer returned to laying out the introductory material for his lecture, giving a smirk and a wink to Duo before walking to the board to begin class.

The boy from L2 sighed, suddenly feeling like no matter what the rest of the day brought, it would be a good one.

That feeling was almost snuffed out by his second class, when he walked into the room to see none other than Reginald Darlian sitting near the front. Of course the football jock caught sight of him, and gave a smug, superior grin before turning back to a conversation with another kid.

"Ass," mumbled Duo, sliding into a seat near the back of the room, not wanting to be any closer to the too-perfect sports star than he had to be. He looked around for a friendly face, and breathed a small sigh as he spotted Jase. At least there'd be someone to study with.

Jase caught his eye, and a wide grin spread across his face as he slid into the seat next to his friend. "Long time no see," he quipped happily.

Duo jerked his head towards their nemesis. "Wish it'd been longer 'til we were stuck seeing him again."

"Yeah, well…from all I've heard around the campus, we'll see a lot more of him. He's definitely the star of the Academy—perfect at everything he does—first in every class."

"Not for long," vowed the braided boy.

Jase smirked at the determination in his friend's voice. "We gonna show him what a couple of L2 brats can do?"

"Damn straight."

Both boys turned their attention to the instructor, a no-nonsense officer named Blake, who jumped right into applied mathematics with a fervor that had stunned students scrambling to take notes.

On the way out the door at the end of a class that left his brain whirling with fatigue, Duo elbowed Jase. "Study…later…my room?"

"Sounds like a plan if we're going to dethrone the math king," Jase replied, glancing over his shoulder at Reginald, who had stayed after to talk to the instructor as if they were old friends.

* * *

Duo's third class, scheduled just before lunch, was English…not a subject he relished. Nor was it one he thought necessary for a mobile suit pilot. And he was so busy scowling down at the schedule in his hand, that he bumped into another student as they tried to enter the classroom at the same moment.

He looked up to apologize, and smiled instead. "Quat! Damn, it's good to see you."

Quatre smiled back, looking as relieved as Duo felt. "How's your day been?"

"So far, so good. Got Lareau for weapons and some geek named Blake for math. But Jase is in my math class, which almost makes up for Darlian being in it too."

"Oh. Tough break," Quatre conceded as they found seats together and settled in. "Heero was in my math class first thing this morning, and after lunch Trowa and I both have applied engineering."

Duo gave a wry snort. "As if either of you will be concentrating on the instructor."

"Sure we will…sometimes," smirked his friend.

They soon turned their attention to the teacher, and since most of the material they were learning had to do with mission shorthand and communication of data, Duo thought he might not be bored quite to death.

And at the end of that class, both boys had lunch—and they found their respective partners waiting for them at the table where most of the boot camp boys seemed to congregate.

"How's it going?" Heero asked, as Duo slid into the seat next to him. The blue eyes settled a warm gaze on his braided lover.

"Better now that you're here," came the teasingly mushy reply. Duo grinned wickedly. "Wish I could show you how much better."

"Later."

"Promises, promises."

Heero just gave a small, enigmatic smile. "Tell me about your classes."

While Duo launched into a quick description of his morning, Heero concentrated on his meal, and when the braided boy was done, they switched, and Heero talked about _his _day. Then Trowa and Quatre were asked to likewise describe their schedules and impressions of their first classes, until all of them had compared notes.

It turned out that each of them shared some common classes with the others, and when Duo found out Heero would be with him in applied engineering at the end of the day, he was ecstatic.

Their Tuesday and Thursday schedules were a bit different; they had classes in infiltration, history, and demolitions. Plus, Quatre had been selected for a tactical class, and Heero was in astrophysics.

Every day of the week had some sort of physical training as well—either running, calisthenics, and martial arts, or obstacles. The dining hall opened for supper a half hour after the end of training on any given day, and the evenings were open for study time or relaxation.

It was a fairly rigorous schedule, although from what they'd heard around campus, the boys understood that as the semester progressed, they'd be given breaks during regular classes to work on projects or areas they had difficulty with. And once they'd passed certain exams and been "qualified" on equipment, they'd be spending more time on hands-on activities, and less in the classroom.

Duo leaned back in his chair, pushing his empty plate away. "God, they keep feeding us like this, an' I'll end up fat."

Heero raised an eyebrow at the lean, wiry boy. "You could probably eat non-stop for a week without gaining an ounce, Duo."

"High metabolism?" Quatre suggested.

"Making up for lost time," Duo replied.

"So, you like it here," Trowa pushed, his green eyes focused on the teammate he'd gone through so much with.

"Lovin' it," Duo asserted. "Hard work and all—it rocks."

They had to part company shortly thereafter, and both couples chafed at the inability to show any outward affection. Their relationships were still new enough that they craved constant reassurance and physical contact—neither of which they could indulge in public.

Duo sighed, pausing just outside the cafeteria with Heero. "Guess we'll have to start passing love notes, eh Yuy?"

"If that's the only way to maintain our communication during the day, I'm all for it," agreed the Japanese boy. "I don't ever want you to doubt my feelings."

"Nah," said the braided boy, with a wave of his hand. "Just remind me every night, and it'll all be good." He lowered his voice to an intimate undertone. "Love ya, Yuy."

"Right back atcha," teased his boyfriend, winking one big blue eye solemnly before striding off to his next class.

Duo bid a hasty farewell to Trowa and Quatre and dashed off to chemistry class, sliding around the corner and into the room just under the wire.

He promptly cursed his late arrival, as the only empty seat in the room was next to Reginald Darlian.

"Sucks to be me," he sighed under his breath, settling reluctantly into the chair.

"Running late, Maxwell?" taunted the football jock. "You seemed a little slow on the playing field, too."

"Yeah, well—we'll see what happens when you're on _my _playing field," Duo shot back coolly.

"I'd never _be_ on any playing field of yours, Maxwell. I wouldn't stoop."

Duo flashed him a grim smile. "The whole world's my field, Darlian. An' I've got life skills you can only dream about. Just watch how they translate into mobile suit piloting. Then we'll see who's the best."

At that moment the instructor rapped loudly on the desk, so the two boys settled for a last glare at one another and turned their attention to the front of the room.

"This is chemistry class, boys," announced the teacher. "I'm Lieutenant Sims…better known as Pyro." He gave a wicked smirk that made Duo straighten in his seat. "This class is all about the composition of fuels, explosives, and pretty much any substance that can be used as a weapon. I'll expect your full attention, and strict adherence to safety regulations and protocols. Let's start with the emergency evacuation procedure…"

Duo left the class an hour later feeling as if he'd met the coolest instructor that ever lived. The class promised to be as fascinating as it was dangerous.

"Make a little wager, Maxwell?" came a cool voice at his shoulder.

He glanced back to see Reggie only a few steps behind.

"Fifty bucks says I top the best grade you can make in this class."

"You're on," Duo retorted, neglecting the fact that he didn't have fifty bucks, or the likelihood of acquiring it. It didn't concern him, since he planned on winning.

Reggie gave a wry snort. "I only hope you don't manage to blow up the lab before the end of the semester."

Duo was tempted to reply with "blow _me_," but decided that wasn't a phrase he ever wanted to use around someone like Reginald Darlian. "Don't you worry about me, pal. I was _born _to handle explosives."

He strode off thinking that if being Heero Yuy's lover wasn't like carrying a lit stick of dynamite, he didn't know what was. And then the whole way to engineering class he let himself daydream about his boyfriend, and the spine-tingling rush he got whenever they were together.

Heero was waiting for him at the door to applied engineering, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, and it was all Duo could do to resist grabbing him and kissing him.

"Been thinking about you," he told his lover, giving a small, private smile and a wink to the dark-haired boy.

Heero pushed off the wall. "Same here," he said with a warm look in eyes that were usually reserved and calculating. "Glad we can have one class together, at least."

"Me too."

They found seats near the front and settled in to learn about mobile suit designs and their functions. They listened raptly, absorbing every detail and planning for the day they'd use the information. And both boys thought the time passed too quickly.

The rest of the day flew by with some limbering exercises and a two-mile run, and then the boys were free to have showers and gather for the evening meal.

Dinner was the one time practically every student in every grade was gathered in one location. Everyone from first year cadets to seniors had the same supper hour, and so the mess hall was filled to capacity.

Each of the boys from Camp Peacecraft had met class and dorm mates, so the tables were mixed with both old friends and new, sharing accounts of how the first day went, previous years' stories, and some of the expectations of things to come.

* * *

While the students were enjoying their first complete day of training, Captain Chang was in his office catching up on paperwork and awaiting Major Merquise's return. The Academy director had spent the day in meetings with Colonel Une and higher-ups from the Central Command of the Mobile Suit Corps. There was some high-level Department of Defense representative visiting, and the news he brought had pulled the military officers away for the day, leaving Wufei in charge of the entire training facility.

But it also left him restless and uneasy. He could count on one hand the number of times there'd been anyone of that rank at the Academy, and it had never been a portent of good things to come.

He heard the steady, familiar tread of boots in the hallway and was on his feet before Merquise opened the door. But instead of greeting his good friend and superior officer, he gazed warily at the weary expression on the handsome face.

"Sir?"

Zechs took a moment to close the door behind him, and then ran a hand down his face in a universal gesture of exhaustion. "Before you say a word, Chang, just let me bask in the presence of one who is not a total _fucking _moron!"

Wufei's eyes widened. "That bad?" he asked with a near-wince.

The Major nodded, and with a boldness that surprised himself, Wufei walked around the desk and put his arms around the lean, muscular waist in a comforting embrace.

Zechs' arms immediately swept him close, holding him almost painfully tight, and he could feel that the other officer was trembling slightly.

"What is it?" he asked, more intent on learning what had so deeply upset his partner than on enjoying the fierce embrace.

"Bureaucratic bullshit!" spat Merquise.

Wufei pulled back, gaining only an inch or two of space against the powerful arms that held him. "But you're used to that," he chided. "What is it about _this _time that's got you so rattled?"

"They want us to—to choose cadets for the Prototype Program _now_, rather than at the end of the semester—and to rush them through the training as quickly as possible."

Onyx eyes widened in alarm. "The prototypes? But, we've only got a handful of seasoned pilots that have been successful at operating them…let alone half-trained cadets!"

"I know that, Wufei. But the government bigwigs want our prototype suits ready for immediate deployment. They know war with the colonies is imminent, and they want to have the edge in technology from the outset." He dropped his arms from around the Chinese man and walked over to sit on the edge of the desk facing him. "You won't like the rest of the news, either. They've seen the simulator scores, and they want the selection process based on them."

Captain Chang shook his head. "Well, certainly they'd want the most apt seniors—but many of them failed the prototype simulations."

"They want the selection made from _all _the cadets."

Wufei paled. "You can't be serious." Traditionally combat-ready positions had been filled by students in at least their junior year at the Academy. It was felt that first or second year students lacked the maturity and experience necessary to be sent into battle.

"They _saw _the scores, Chang," Merquise repeated. "All the scores."

Realization dawned in the dark eyes. "The Camp Peacecraft scores?"

Zechs nodded. "No one's ever made the kind of scores your best boot camp kids did. The defense people want that talent harvested."

"But—but we weren't even supposed to be filling the Prototype Program until halfway through the year!" Wufei protested. "And it was supposed to take a full year and a half to complete the training and battery of tests."

"They've given us four weeks to choose the top twenty students and put them in the Program."

"Four _weeks_? It should take four months!"

"We're to obtain instructor evaluations in the major disciplines, hold extensive simulator testing, and with those who qualify proceed to hands-on mobile suit piloting…all without revealing the purpose behind it. They don't want cadets changing the way they study in an attempt to qualify. Nor do they want people knowing about the acceleration of the prototype training program. It's now been classified as top secret. They want the selections made, the pilots trained, and the suits deployed before anyone realizes it's happened."

Wufei leaned against the door, feeling a bit weak at the knees. "I didn't bring those boys here to throw them on suicide missions, Zechs. They're just children. Most of our graduates are at least twenty years old, and even _they_ are barely adult enough to be put on active duty. And that's during peacetime!"

"I know that. But the Peacecraft kids made some unprecedented scores on the simulators, and the people running the show want to be able to include them in the Program if they make the cut…age notwithstanding."

"I'll protest it."

"I already did." Zechs straightened, taking strength from his friend's dismay. He caught the Captain by both shoulders. "Don't worry, Wufei. We'll make sure those boys are ready if and when they have to go. I promise you, I'll hold to the original testing requirements, no matter what the government hotshots say." He shook his head gently. "For all you know, your boys won't make the cut anyway."

Wufei's skeptical sneer conveyed clearly his thoughts on the subject. "You know they will. They'll be at the top of the list." He closed his eyes, hanging his head. "I trained them…coached them…brought them here…for an _education_…not to send them to war." He turned a troubled gaze to his would-be lover. "_I'm_ a warrior, and so are you. Yuy has it in him as well. But the others…"

"…are tougher than you give them credit for," Merquise finished for him. "Winner is a superb tactician. He not only outmaneuvered Kushrenada; he enjoyed doing it. He played a role, bluffed, and baited the man into a corner. He's not the soft touch you think he is." His thumbs rubbed soothingly on the shoulders he held so firmly. "Barton's another one with more than meets the eye. He came from a gang of mercenaries and learned how to function in a team; he's adaptable, intelligent, determined, and has the courage to face down attack dogs and lions. You won't find a better survivor, except perhaps in Maxwell." As Wufei looked up quickly, Zechs nodded. "Yes…Maxwell is as resilient as he is pretty. He's got it in him to be a superior pilot. He's eager, energetic, and has a mind like a steel trap. He can read an enemy in a heartbeat, and adjust his tactics accordingly. The brat had me wrapped around his finger within hours of you leaving the camp. Don't sell him short. Any one of those boys has more raw talent than half our senior cadets combined. If they make the Program, they'll breeze through it—and if, God forbid, they are deployed—they'll not only survive, but they'll succeed."

The Chinese officer turned his head away, a bitter smile on his lips. "You talk a good game, Zechs. I've heard that pep talk at many an Academy training session. But it's nothing more than rhetoric."

"I told you, I won't compromise the training standards in the interest of expediency. I _will _see every cadet in the Prototype Program fully qualified before I allow them to be deployed."

"I have your word on that?" Wufei looked searchingly into the ice blue eyes.

"My word as an officer, and my word as a friend and would-be suitor." Zechs looked earnestly back at him. "I swear Wufei, I won't send _any _Camp Peacecraft recruits into a combat zone unless they have passed every test and every hurdle we set for them…and I won't allow bureaucratic idiots to change the standards for qualification."

"You know they can just overrule you."

"I won't let them. It's still my Academy, and I'll run it the way I see fit."

"And if they choose to replace you for that?"

"Then so be it," shrugged Merquise. "The Corps is my job. But only a job. I won't let you or any of my trainees down in order to kiss the collective bureaucratic ass."

Wufei melted against Zechs' chest, receiving a wide-eyed look he completely missed. "Now I know what I love about you—," he sighed, without giving a thought to the admission he'd just made.

But Zechs' quick intake of breath made him pause and look up, blushing as realization struck. "I mean—your dedication—your devotion to your cadets—."

The Major caught Wufei's chin in gentle fingers and tilted his head up for a firm, insistent kiss. "I am devoted to _you_," he asserted in a whisper.

A slight groan escaped the Chinese man's lips, and he returned the kiss with more fierceness, finding Zechs' steady presence a reassurance against the oncoming storm.

* * *

Oblivious to the political machinations going on behind the scenes, the boys from Team Wing gathered after supper at the library to study together. They'd decided over their meal that going to a dorm room wouldn't be the most efficient solution, as it would allow too much opportunity for distraction or interruption.

But gathering at a study desk with several other students was nearly as disruptive, since the mixture of new friends and old made it hard not to get off on tangents.

Quatre surprised everyone by taking charge and making some notes about which subjects each person was there to study; then he proceeded to suggest groups of two or three boys per topic. The others agreed with his plan, and broke off into smaller units.

Duo ended up with Jase and Cooper working on math, while Quatre, Rev and Austin started chemistry homework, and Heero, Trowa and Ben did English.

They'd been deeply ensconced in their studies for nearly an hour when Reggie and his usual group of hangers-on showed up at their table.

"Hey, Yuy," Reggie said with a friendly smile that immediately set Duo's teeth on edge. "You interested in getting together with some of my senior friends tomorrow night to work on astrophysics? I'll take you over to their dorm and introduce you around."

Heero glanced up disinterestedly. "No thanks."

Reggie put a hand on the table, leaning in a little closer. "I'm sure you're a smart guy, Yuy. But it's a killer of a course. I missed getting in by two points, and some of my friends who are in second year astrophysics barely scraped by with passing grades last year."

"Thanks for the heads up," Heero muttered, giving Reggie a longer, colder look. "But I'm not concerned about passing. I expect to do very well in it."

The football jock looked a bit nonplussed, and Duo smirked, looking over from his math homework. "Don't worry about 'Ro, Darlian. He'll ace the fuckin' course. And you can take _that _to the bank."

Cold brown eyes turned a contemptuous glare Duo's way. "I see you're already struggling with math, Maxwell. Maybe you should be concentrating on chemistry, speaking of taking something to the bank."

"He's not struggling!" Quatre interjected hotly, coming to his friend's defense in a flash. "He's just working hard to get the best grade possible. We all are!"

"S'okay, Quat," Duo shrugged. "I'll admit I have to work at math." He gave Reggie a narrow look. "But being _human_ comes easy to me."

"Oh, ouch," chuckled Trowa, keeping his head down over his book so that his hair obscured his smile of approval at the vicious barb.

Reggie's gaze swept the entire group, and he pushed off from the table. "If you change your mind, Yuy, just let me know."

"Right."

The group of football players and their star headed off through the rows of books, and the boys at the table gave a collective sigh of relief.

"Maxwell, exactly how did you manage to evoke such complete hostility from Darlian?" Heero asked wearily.

"Told ya. I met him at check-in, and he just took to me from the start," grinned the braided boy.

Rev gave a short laugh at that. "He's right, Yuy. Reg was looking for someone to lord it over, and when Duo wouldn't play the part, he right away decided to dislike him."

Heero just shook his head. Duo was both the most likeable and the most annoying boy he'd ever known. Whether they became his friend or his enemy, no one seemed to stay a stranger for long.

"It's okay," Quatre said firmly. "I don't think Darlian likes me very much either. But we're not here to please him."

"Naw, we're here to kick his ass in each and every subject," Duo agreed.

"What was he talking about taking to the bank?" Trowa interjected, raising a curious look to the braided boy.

"We made a little wager on whether or not I can outdo him in chemistry class," Duo explained.

"A wager?" Heero asked rather sharply.

Duo smirked at him. "Yeah, 'Ro. But not what _you're _thinking. It's a cash wager."

"I wasn't thinking of anything else," said the former team leader quickly, the jealousy leaving his eyes at once.

"Right," drawled Duo skeptically.

"How much did you bet?" Trowa asked.

"Fifty bucks."

The auburn-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Do you _have _fifty bucks?"

"Don't need it unless I lose, and I won't," came the cocky response.

"Famous last words…"

"They aren't last words," Duo asserted. "I can ace chemistry. I did great in the subject back in camp, and I can do it here."

"That's nice to know," Jase interrupted. "But we're supposed to get these math problems done tonight."

"Oh, yeah. Right. Math." Duo heaved a sigh. "Not nearly as interesting as blowing stuff up."

"But equally necessary, Maxwell," came Captain Chang's mildly chiding voice, as the officer emerged from between rows of books, his dark gaze sweeping the group gathered at the table. "I'm glad to see all you boys so serious about your studies—but why don't you head back to your dorms and get some rest? It's only the first week of classes. Surely your instructors haven't loaded you up on work already."

"No point in waiting until they do," Heero pointed out, catching a gleam in his friend's eyes that made him uneasy.

"We're establishing good study habits," Duo added with a cheeky grin, even as his fingers worked on folding a scrap of paper into a little missile he could flick at the back of Reggie's head the next time they had class together. All he'd have to do was get a seat behind his nemesis, and the rest would be easy.

Wufei gave a wry smile and a slightly sarcastic nod. "By all means, carry on then. I've just come to borrow Yuy for a moment." Several sets of eyes gave him a curious glance, but the officer ignored them, fixing a steady gaze on his long-time friend.

Heero frowned as he looked back, catching something in the dark eyes, and then with a terse "hn" he gathered his books and shoved them into his backpack. He spared a glance for Duo, giving a small, reassuring smile. "G'night," he said to the entire group, while his eyes remained on his lover.

"Yeah, sweet dreams," Duo teased, waving a hand dismissively to make it sound like a joke. At the same time, he wondered why the MSC officer wanted a private moment with Heero. It couldn't possibly bode well—could it?

Jase snapped his fingers in front of the indigo eyes to regain Duo's attention as Heero and Wufei departed. "C'mon, Maxwell. Math—remember? That thing with numbers and symbols, that you and I are gonna help each other ace?"

Pulling himself together, Duo pasted on his trademark grin. "Right. Math." His eyes glimmered with mischief as he added, "But I'd still rather be blowing things up."


	8. Into the Fire

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Seven: Into the Fire

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind," Heero commented as he and Wufei walked across the dark courtyard.

"I have." The Captain scowled, looking down at his feet as they walked, and contemplating the best way to disregard protocols and regulations. "I'm going to tell you something I'm not supposed to."

The deep blue eyes shot him a sidelong glance. "'Fei?"

"For the next few weeks, all the cadets at this Academy will be testing for the Prototype Program I mentioned to you before. But the Department of Defense rep told Merquise that they want selections made and training completed as quickly as possible. They want the prototypes and their pilots combat-ready inside of a year…preferably sooner."

Heero caught his breath. "I thought it would take closer to two."

"It should. And it was meant to," Wufei told him. "But they've changed the rules once again, and now they want to put babies into killing machines and send them out to die sooner rather than later!"

The Japanese boy winced at the bitterness in his friend's voice. "We aren't babies, Chang."

"Close enough."

Heero shook his head stubbornly. "None of us are babies. Maybe some of your rich upper-class kids at this place are that helpless…but my team…my friends…have been through a lot more. We're all a lot more prepared than the spoiled elite who usually attend this Academy."

"While I admit you have a definite edge over the 'spoiled elite,' as you call them, you're far from seasoned soldiers. And before I watch you and your friends fly off to war, I'd like to see you better prepared."

The Japanese boy raised an eyebrow. "If you're suggesting we do less than our best…"

"You know me better than that. I'd never tell you to fail on purpose—or to ask the others to do so. I'm just—worried," he finished in a gusty sigh.

"I don't blame you," Heero replied. While a frown creased his forehead, a hint of a smile touched his lips. "But I'd have expected you to be worried about the battles you'd lose by sending unskilled troops."

"There was a time I would have been. But now—." He shrugged expansively. "Now I'm more worried about the young lives that would be lost."

Heero's smile widened into a genuine one. "You know, Wufei, when we were kids, I looked up to you so much. I didn't think I could possibly respect you more than I did back then. But now—you are ten times the person you were then."

Captain Chang blushed, uncomfortable with such effusive praise from his stoic friend. "I think the same of you," he admitted. "We have come a long way, haven't we?"

Heero gave a brief nod. "Just as my teammates evolved during boot camp," he pointed out. "They're more ready than you think, Chang. And if they know how serious the situation is, you know they'll rise to the occasion."

"You can't tell them," came the quick reply. "If Zechs finds out I even told you, he could bring me up on charges."

"As if he would."

"That's beside the point. I've broken some serious military protocols by confiding in you." Wufei shook his head.

"Why would you do that?" Heero asked. "If not to have me tell the others—."

"I just—. I guess I needed to vent some of my frustration." Wufei gave a small, tight smile. "I couldn't very well take it _all _out on Zechs. He feels badly enough about the changes to the timeline." Dark eyes sought blue ones. "I've always been able to tell you anything, Heero."

"You still can."

"I know." Wufei ran a hand back through his hair. "I also didn't want you going into this blind. We've been friends too long for that."

"Contrary to what you think, none of us will be going into this blind, Wufei." Heero glanced at the other man as they walked. "From what I've heard and seen of my teammates, they're taking this training very seriously. They understood Merquise's speech about the possibility of war, and no one's tried to brush it off as idle talk." He stopped in his tracks and waited for Wufei to do the same, and turn to face him. "Every cadet from Peacecraft knows where the training could lead, and they're ready to face that possibility."

Chang's chest rose and fell in a heavy sigh, and he gave a firm nod and a half-smile. "You're right, Yuy. They are. And I thank you for putting my mind at ease. I was starting to feel that we were somehow deceiving them, and I think that was bothering me more than anything."

"I know." Heero resumed his walk and Wufei fell in step beside him.

They walked the rest of the way to the dorm in companionable silence, and parted with a simple "good night."

* * *

Heero felt unaccountably weary as he made his way to his room, sighing and running a hand through his unruly hair. He tried not to let Wufei's fears become his own, but it was hard not to imagine his friends dying prematurely because some government pencil-pushers wanted to hurry a war along. He hoped beyond hope that his assertion they could be ready in time was the truth.

And he worried just as much over Wufei's concern as he did over what he'd been told. It wasn't like his friend to be that open with emotions. He always seemed in perfect control. For him to admit to so much, he must be even more uneasy than he let on, and Heero couldn't help wondering if there was more to the story than he'd been told. How imminent _was _war? And how likely was the immediate deployment of the prototypes?

Heero headed for his bathroom, deciding a shower might relax him and help him sleep after the disturbing conversation. He'd known Wufei for years, and yet sometimes wondered if he knew him at all. For instance, he'd never had a clue that Wufei might be gay, or even bisexual—and now the man was involved with Merquise.

That stray thought started Heero wondering why there'd never been any spark of attraction between Wufei and him. He scowled as he let the water run over his face, picturing his friend through all the years he'd known him, and trying to see a moment when something could potentially have happened between them. But there was nothing; not the least hint of more than a deep, brotherly connection.

Not that Wufei wasn't attractive. He was. His dark, piercing gaze and sleek black hair made him singularly striking to look at. And his personality suited Heero to a tee. But there was never a hint of sexual tension between them. Ever.

Maybe they were too much alike, Heero mused. Apparently it took a loud-mouthed, brassy street kid to turn his head and set his heart on fire. Go figure.

The long, hot shower soothed his nerves, and by the time he emerged from his bathroom, Heero felt much better.

And when he saw Duo sprawled casually across his bed, he felt better still.

"How'd you get in?" he said, trying not to grin and failing miserably.

"Trade secret," said the other boy, winking slyly. His gaze trailed down the naked chest to the towel wrapped around Heero's waist. "I suddenly feel overdressed," he smirked.

"You are." Heero tossed aside the towel and crawled onto the bed so he was straddling his prone lover. "But I can remedy that." He leaned in for a deep, searing kiss as his fingers made short work of the buttons on Duo's shirt.

"Mmm…" Duo closed his eyes as Heero's hands slid inside the fabric and traced patterns on his skin. "God, that's—nice."

"It gets better," promised the Japanese boy, letting his lips follow the path his hands had taken, teasing at Duo's throat and then working their way down to a nipple.

"Oh God," Duo panted. "Thought _I _was supposed to do the seducing."

"Not tonight." Heero set to work on the other nipple, his hands sliding down to deftly unfasten Duo's belt and unzip his pants.

He was rewarded with a groan, and the push of Duo's hips towards his hands.

"Patience," he crooned huskily.

"Right," gasped his lover.

Heero crept back up to kiss the breathless lips, enjoying the trembling reactions he got, and the fierce hunger he felt reflected back at him.

"Oh…Jesus…" Duo looked up searchingly as Heero let him up for air. "Hey, 'Ro—what'd Wufei want you for?"

"Nothing much," mumbled the Japanese boy, leaning in to kiss Duo's jaw and nibble his way back to an ear.

"Nothing much?" echoed Duo, his tone a bit skeptical. "He singled you out from the whole study group, 'Ro. Hadda be something important."

"Not really."

"Bullshit." Duo's tone was sharp—almost angry.

Heero jerked as if he'd been slapped, sitting back on Duo's legs and looking down at the half-lidded indigo eyes, a scowl furrowing his brow. "Is that why you came here?" he asked coolly. "Just to find out what 'Fei and I talked about?"

"Among other things," Duo hedged, looking a bit chastened.

Heero's face darkened. "You were trying to seduce information out of me?" he asked in disbelief.

"No—but I was hoping you might tell me—."

"After you promised not to use sex to coerce me into anything—."

"I'm not!" Duo asserted, frowning up at him. "I never said you had to tell me or I wouldn't have sex with you—."

"But you waited until we were in bed before you asked."

"I was in bed when you walked out of the shower," Duo pointed out with flawless logic.

"You know what I mean." Heero glared at his boyfriend. "Did you think that I'd blurt out some deep, dark secret just because you had your hand on my dick?"

Duo blinked at the harshness in Heero's tone. "Jesus, 'Ro—what's got you so pissy?"

"I don't like being manipulated—that's what!"

"Who's manipulating you? I just wanted to find out what the big powwow with Chang was all about—an' maybe have a little quality time with my boyfriend!"

"We had 'quality time' last night—and you didn't play twenty questions while we did it." Heero got up, walking over to pick his towel up off the floor, frustrated with Duo for the game he'd played, and with himself for letting it get to him. "I think you should go, Duo."

The braided boy pushed himself upright, eyes wide with disbelief. "You're throwing me out of your bed, Yuy?"

"I just think tonight's not a good night for this. We've got early classes…"

"Bullshit. You're pissed at me."

"Yeah, I guess I am," Heero admitted, looking squarely into the indigo eyes and seeing a flash of pain in them that tugged at his heart.

Without another word, Duo got up, zipped his pants, and began rebuttoning his shirt, keeping his back to Heero so he wouldn't see the brightness in his eyes. When he felt arms slide around his waist, he stiffened, pausing his shaking hands.

"Don't take that the wrong way, Duo," cautioned the Japanese boy. "I don't mean I don't love you. I can be angry with you and still care, you know."

"'S okay," Duo muttered, still trying to keep up the tough act. "You don't want to fuck me, that's fine. I got stuff to do anyway."

Heero sighed in frustration. "I never want to 'fuck you.' You know that. I love you. And sex is more than 'fucking.' That's why knowing you were just using it to get what you wanted—hurt."

Duo twisted in the strong arms, turning to face his lover. "I wasn't using it—or you. I came to talk to you—but you had to come out of the bathroom all wet and half-naked." He glanced up shyly from under half-lidded eyes. "Seeing you like that just made me lose my head. And I was trying to remember what I came here to ask." He gave a tentative kiss to the firm jaw he was nestled up against. "If anything, you were the one using sex to distract _me_. Honest. You know I don't lie, 'Ro. And I just came to ask what Chang had to say—and then let you fuck me through the mattress. I didn't mean to mix the two up."

Heero's temper cooled at the soft, apologetic tone, and he felt a twinge of remorse for overreacting. His deep blue eyes searched the indigo ones. "You seriously didn't plan on using sex to get me to talk?"

Duo looked squarely back. "No, I didn't. Like I said, I wanted both—but it never even crossed my mind to trick you into anything." He tightened the arms he'd slid around his lover's waist. "You believe me?"

"Of course I do," sighed the other boy, tightening his own grip. "Sorry I misunderstood."

"If you'd just said we'd talk about it later, I'd have shut the hell up," Duo told him. A slight frown settled on his face. "Was it that serious?"

"We'll talk about it later," Heero said firmly. He leaned in to kiss Duo deeply, and then pulled away. "You better get back to your dorm and get some sleep. Tomorrow we have double-period classes, and I've got astrophysics first thing in the morning."

A pained look crossed Duo's face. "Now I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. I'm leaving without either of the things I came for."

Heero finally managed a faint smile. "How 'bout we make a date for Friday night? We'll come back here after chow and spend the whole night together—no interruptions, no questions, no arguments."

"That sounds nice," Duo conceded. "It'll be a million years 'til then; but it sounds nice." He searched Heero's face. "I didn't screw things up again?"

"No," sighed the other boy. "I'm just tense—a little touchy I guess. Bad timing."

"Y'know how much I love you, right?"

"I do. And I love you right back." Heero walked over and opened the door, after making sure his towel was back around his waist in case anyone walked by. "See you at obstacles tomorrow," he told his lover.

Duo managed a grin, though it was less whole-hearted than usual. "That's right—we've all got obstacles together. That'll be a blast." He paused at the door, glancing up and down the hall before leaning in to brush a brief kiss across Heero's lips. "Love you, 'Ro."

"Love you, too."

* * *

The next morning went much like the first had, though all the boys were more relaxed and settled in. When they met in the mess hall, they ate breakfast as a group, comparing schedules, and deciding to meet at lunchtime, so that Duo and Quatre could go to history together, while Heero and Trowa both had infiltration.

After that, Duo and Quatre had infiltration while Heero and Trowa would be in demolitions—and then at the end of the day, all the second-year cadets had obstacle class together.

When Duo realized Quatre and he would be sharing not just one, but two classes, he was elated.

But he was even more elated when he got to his demolitions class several minutes early, and found Lieutenant Sims (aka Pyro) teaching that as well as chemistry.

"So, you not only make the explosives—you also teach us how to use them?" Duo asked as he slid into a front row seat.

"Who'd be better qualified?" asked the instructor, giving him a wicked smirk. "Maxwell, right?"

Duo nodded.

"I saw your scores on previous tests. You've got a lot of aptitude for demolitions work. Planning on being in special ops?"

"Nope—mobile suits."

Pyro raised an eyebrow. "Weapons systems?"

"Pilot."

The teacher shook his head. "You sure you want to go that route, kid? Pilots come and go, but weapons experts last forever."

"I want to pilot mobile suits," Duo said firmly. "First time I got into a simulator, I knew it was the job for me." He grinned dauntlessly. "Don't worry, though. I plan to ace this class, anyway."

"That's not the point," replied the lieutenant. "The point is, pilots don't live long in combat, and with the kind of talent you have, the Corps should keep you around as long as possible."

"I'm tough to kill, sir. Honest."

Pyro nodded. "Let's see if you feel that way once you try the bomb simulator."

"Bomb simulator?"

"Once we've gotten into some construction and assembly of bombs, you'll get to try to defuse a 'mock bomb.' If you fail, you end up splattered with red paint." He grinned evilly. "I haven't ever had a student pass the simulation the first time through."

Duo grinned back, sensing a challenge. "Well, here's to me being the first."

* * *

While Duo was bonding with his new favorite instructor, Quatre was in a class on battle strategy and tactics. And although the subject matter promised to be absolutely riveting for him, he found the company less than desirable.

He'd no sooner entered the classroom than another boy walked over and introduced himself as Rick, holding out a hand in greeting.

Quatre shook the proffered hand, smiling back. "I'm Quatre."

"Yeah, I know." Rick gave a casual shrug. "Who _doesn't _know the Winner name?" He smiled conspiratorially. "Why'd you decide on a military career anyway?"

"Lots of reasons," Quatre replied as they took seats side by side. "But I guess the most important is that I met my best friends preparing to come here, and I really wanted to stick with them, you know?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah—I do know. All the friends I've got in the world I met here, last year. Great bunch of guys." He glanced around and lowered his voice. "You wanna come meet some of them at the library tomorrow night? We're having a little get-together to talk about the lowering of the admission standards."

On the verge of accepting the offer with the idea of making new friends, Quatre paused to cast a quizzical look at Rick. "The _what_?"

"You know…letting a bunch of criminals in…"

The pleasant feeling of camaraderie slipped away at once, and Quatre's eyes flashed in sudden anger. "Didn't Major Merquise expressly forbid that sort of thing?"

"He said we weren't supposed to bother them or anything…nothing about just talking among ourselves." Rick leaned a little closer. "Anyway, he'll never know. So far the only guys in the group were here last year, an' we're all pretty tight."

"Really?" Quatre asked with such sarcastic lightness that it went completely over Rick's head. "What about _me_? I wasn't here last year."

Rick laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "You're _Quatre Winner_. Everyone _knows _you aren't one of the Peacecraft kids."

"Oh? Why d'you say that?" Quatre asked with a dangerous gleam in the aquamarine eyes.

"Well, because you're Quatre Winner!"

"Ah." Quatre's pretty eyes narrowed. "Let me enlighten you a bit, Rick. Just because my last name's Winner doesn't mean I'm a saint, you know. I could very well be as bad as the worst juvenile delinquent out there. But you'd never hear about it because of the name."

Rick looked a bit puzzled, but pushed bravely forward. "Well at any rate, with a name like yours, surely you don't want to be sharing space with a bunch of thieves, whores and murderers, do you? I mean—I heard some of 'em came from the streets of L2—and you _know _the kind of people that place produces."

"I'm not small-minded enough to judge people by reputation," Quatre said with an icy edge to his usually-mild voice. "Or by where they're from. I wait to actually _know _someone long enough to determine their character before I make judgments."

Rick frowned in confusion.

Quatre rolled his eyes in exasperation. "In other words, fuck off!" he snarled, borrowing one of Duo's lines, which seemed to fit the occasion. "I want nothing to do with your narrow-minded friends or you!"

"You—you _want _them to allow juvenile delinquents into the Corps?" Rick asked in astonishment, finally catching on.

"I _want _them to allow anyone who passes the entrance exams and shows the right moral fiber and intelligence!" Quatre retorted, his sunny smile long gone. "Of course, if they did _that_, you wouldn't be here!"

He grabbed his books and very deliberately moved to a seat further away from the detestable boy.

* * *

Quatre was still fuming hours later as he arrived at the mess hall, grabbed a lunch, and located the table where Duo, Trowa, Jase, and Ben were waiting for him. He slammed his books and his lunch onto the table and flung himself into a chair just a little harder than was necessary.

Duo and Trowa both looked up in mild surprise.

"'S up, Quat?"

"I just met a vile, pathetic excuse for a human being!"

Duo and Trowa exchanged a glance.

"Are you okay?" Trowa asked with a concerned gleam in the deep green eyes. "Did something happen?"

"No—he just—_pissed_ me off," Quatre growled, once again borrowing from Duo's extensive vocabulary for an expressive-enough word.

"Anyone we know?" Duo inquired, curious indigo eyes fixed on his friend.

"Some idiot named Rick," grumbled the blonde, taking a vicious bite of his sandwich. "He went prattling on about how the Corps lowered its standards to allow juvenile delinquents in—."

"Oh." Duo's eyes flashed a bit, but he kept a casual grin on his face. "That hadda sting," he commented lightly.

"More to the point—Major Merquise specifically _ordered _all the cadets to drop the subject," Quatre reminded him.

"Yeah, well—it's hard to dictate feelings, now isn't it?" Duo philosophized, his eyes traveling to the doorway Heero was walking through. "Case in point…" he smirked. He raised a hand for Heero's attention, gesturing the Japanese boy to join them.

"This isn't funny," Quatre protested, scowling deeply. "Rick and his friends are having a _meeting _about it tomorrow night at the library."

Trowa raised an eyebrow, his concerned green eyes fixed on his boyfriend. "So they're clearly not taking Merquise seriously."

"Doesn't matter," Duo shrugged. "They can't actually _do _anything about it. I mean, I could stand up on this table and shout 'hey, I'm Duo Maxwell, a thief from L2' and no one could do jack shit about it."

"Sure they could," Trowa pointed out. "Just not in daylight, Maxwell." He shook his head slightly. "Don't get cocky just because Merquise likes you. None of us is untouchable."

"Apparently I am," Quatre said sourly.

Trowa shook his head, frowning in worry. "Don't assume that, Quatre. Depending on their agenda, you could be as much of a target as any of us."

"Not likely," Quatre muttered. "Rick seemed to think I'd like to _join_ their little 'hate club' just because my name is Winner."

"Well, you _do _have a squeaky-clean image," Duo teased, tilting his head back as Heero walked behind his chair and sat next to him. "Hey, 'Ro. We were just talking about our little blonde boy next door, and how some people think just because he's rich, he's got to be a prissy, stuck-up snob like Darlian and his crew."

Heero raised an eyebrow, looking to Quatre for clarification.

"I got invited to meet with a bunch of idiots who don't like the Peacecraft Initiative," mumbled the blonde, suddenly becoming very interested in his fruit cup.

Trowa's hand slid across to nudge Quatre's. "Don't let a few image-conscious fools make you get all defensive," he urged. "You don't have to live up to anyone's preconceptions."

Quatre darted a grateful look at his lover. "Thanks, Trowa. I almost forgot that none of that mattered at boot camp. We were all just part of the team."

"Well, once we got over a few humps and actually _became _a team," Duo pointed out. "I almost bought into that whole 'name' thing. Remember?"

"You just asked why I couldn't have used my name to get out of boot camp," replied the blonde. "But you never expected me to act or be a certain way because of it."

"Naw—you were just the sweet blonde kid on the bus," Duo recalled almost wistfully, his mind drifting back to his first sight of Quatre, and the instant concern he'd felt for such a sweet-looking boy.

"And you were my first friend at camp," Quatre smiled back.

Heero and Trowa exchanged a quick glance and a shake of both heads. It was no wonder they felt like outsiders looking in at times. Duo and Quatre had shared a brotherly intimacy almost from the moment they met.

"Kindred spirits," Duo joked, winking at the blonde.

Trowa snorted wryly. "That's a bit of a stretch…the L2 street kid and the L4 heir?"

"If you're kindred spirits, what am I?" Heero asked Duo quietly, sounding just a tad insecure.

"My soulmate," whispered his lover, giving him a small, private smile reserved only for him.

Heero's return smile was suffused with warmth. "Aishiteru," he murmured reaching under the table to squeeze Duo's hand briefly before returning his attention to his lunch.

* * *

After lunch the four boys set out for class, walking together since they were headed to more or less the same area of the campus. Heero and Trowa both ended up with their noses stuck in a book on demolitions, the class they were headed for, so Duo edged over to walk shoulder to shoulder with Quatre.

"So, what're we gonna do to the creeps who want us gone, oh Master of Strategy?"

"I thought we'd just ignore them," shrugged the blonde, his face tightening at the reminder of the morning's unpleasantness.

"Aw, c'mon, Quat. They need their cage rattled a bit, don't ya think?" Duo cajoled, hoping to take the somber expression off his friend's face.

"Not that they don't deserve it," Quatre sighed. "But I thought I'd report my conversation with Rick to Captain Chang, and let him deal with it as he sees fit."

"Oh, wrong answer!" Duo elbowed Quatre teasingly. "C'mon. We don't need to rat them out to Chang if we can deal with them on our own. How 'bout the old 'dog shit in the shoes' trick? It worked great for Austin and his boys."

"We don't exactly have a canine unit to provide the, erm, ammunition," Quatre reminded him, warming to the discussion.

"True." Duo frowned thoughtfully. "I wonder if I could get Pyro to loan me some sulfur from the chem lab…"

Quatre wrinkled his nose, imagining all the smelly things that could be done with sulfur. The rotten-egg smell would certainly provide a harsh lesson, if used correctly. "Duo—you are very devious," he pointed out.

Duo grinned at him, seeing the familiar sparkle in the blue eyes. "You sell yourself short, Quatre. As I recall, _you _were the one who came up with the plan to set Kushrenada up. And you were the one who fooled him into thinking I was making an escape attempt."

"Your point?"

"You called me devious! Isn't that just a bit—hypocritical?"

"Only if I claimed I wasn't," Quatre replied smoothly. "But you're right. I am. And there's got to be something we can do to straighten out the anti-Peacecraft idiots around here."

"Line 'em up and…"

"Not an option!" Heero interjected, apparently listening to them at the same time he was discussing infiltration with Trowa.

Duo gave a wicked smirk. "But it's fun to consider."

"No." Quatre frowned in thought. "First we have to find out who they are…_all _of them. Then we can decide how to teach them the error of their ways."

"So go to the meeting," Duo suggested.

"I can't. I told Ricky to fuck off."

Indigo eyes went wide and round. "You actually said the 'f' word? Quat—you must've been royally pissed at him!"

"I was." Quatre smiled up at his friend. "So I borrowed a phrase off of you." He looked supremely pleased with himself. "I think it was fitting."

"Damn. I've corrupted the sweetest kid in the world," Duo sighed, shaking his head regretfully.

"That was supposed to be _my _job, Maxwell," Trowa threw in, sparing a mock-glare for the braided boy.

"Oh, trust me—it _is_," Duo assured him. "I only love Quat for his mind—his devious, tactical-genius mind. His gorgeous blonde bod is all yours."

"Damn right," mumbled Trowa in an undertone, catching a small, warm smile from his lover before he returned his attention to the book he and Heero were sharing.

When Duo and Quatre broke off to go their separate ways, the auburn-haired boy gave a faint sigh, glancing after them.

"What?" asked Heero perceptively.

"Just—d'you ever get jealous of how close those two are?"

"Honestly—no," Heero said with a slight frown. "I don't know why. I mean, it's obvious how much they care about each other. I suppose I _should _feel threatened, at least a little. But I don't."

"Well aren't _you _just secure as hell?" muttered Trowa under his breath.

Heero elbowed him chidingly, giving him a rare, encouraging smile. "Don't worry about it," he urged. "Quatre adores you—and he'd be too scared of me to even _think _of making a move on Duo," he added with a devilish smirk.

_But would Duo be too scared of me to make a move on him?_ wondered the former circus performer. He immediately felt guilty for thinking such a thing. He knew better. He knew _Duo _better than that.

But sometimes it was hard to imagine what Quatre saw in him, when he could have anyone at all. And in his weaker moments, Trowa found himself terribly afraid he'd do or say the wrong thing and lose the boy he loved so much. It had almost happened once before. When Trowa had delivered Duo into Kushrenada's hands, he'd been sure it ended any chance he might ever have with Quatre.

But it hadn't. And as grateful as he was for that fact, he still had moments of unease…lots of them.

His somber musings were interrupted when a dog came bounding across the sidewalk, leash dragging and a cadet frantically chasing after him.

"Triton! Get back here! Come! Stay! Stop!"

Trowa hesitated only an instant, as the dog ducked between Heero and him, and snatched up the end of the leash, bracing as the running animal hit the end.

With a startled yip, the dog came to an abrupt halt and turned to see what had stopped him.

He was mostly black, with silver and white markings and a long, bushy tail that curled up and over his back. Slender of build, he was smaller than the shepherds at boot camp, and when he looked up at the two boys, they realized one eye was blue and one brown.

"Hey—a border collie," Trowa said with a smile, dropping to one knee and offering a hand to the animal. "Triton?" The dog instantly crowded close, wagging his tail furiously and licking the boy's face.

Trowa buried his hands in the thick ruff, giving a warm chuckle and scratching the dog's neck, eliciting a wriggle and a whine of pleasure from it.

The boy who'd been chasing the dog jogged up, panting and cursing. "Shit! Thought I'd never catch up!" He stopped at the sidewalk, looking a bit sheepish and very red in the face. "Hey, thanks for catching him."

Trowa nodded, his fingers deep in the soft fur, stroking the happy dog. "He's beautiful." He looked up to see a good-looking boy around his own age, with sandy hair in a crew cut, and warm hazel eyes. _Well, he's not so bad, either. _But true to form, Trowa turned his attention back to Triton, more entranced with the odd-colored eyes and the wagging tail than the good looks of the dog's handler.

Heero wore a bemused expression. _Trust Trowa to find an animal to interact with, even on a military base. _"How are you able to have a dog here at the Academy?" he asked the newcomer.

"He's an explosives and ordnance dog—sniffs out bombs—or at least he will when his training is complete," replied the boy, watching the way the animal responded to Trowa. "He sure likes you—uh—_what's_ your name?"

"Oh. Trowa Barton." He reached up to shake the boy's hand.

"Fox Endicott." He offered his hand to Heero as well.

"Heero Yuy."

"Oh. I've heard of _you_…aced the simulator, didn't you?"

"How'd you know that?" Heero asked suspiciously.

"I do patrols with Triton here, for practice—when he's not chasing goddamned rabbits," grinned the other cadet. "You hear a lot of stuff when you're sweeping offices and classrooms for explosives."

Heero and Trowa exchanged a look, each clearly wondering what else the boy knew.

"So—how d'you get a job with demolitions dogs?" Trowa asked, wondering if there were other openings.

"Well, it probably helps that my old man's the supply officer here," Fox grinned. "He knows all the jobs that open up, has a lot of connections…and frankly, having been an army brat all my life, I have quite a few connections of my own."

Heero glanced at his watch and tugged on Trowa's sleeve. "We've got to run, Barton. They won't hold up class for us!"

"Oh—right." Trowa reluctantly handed the leash back to Fox. "Hey, is there any chance I could help out with Triton? I—I really like dogs. A lot. I had them at home, and—I miss them." He didn't notice the startled and then sympathetic look that crossed Heero's face before he schooled it back into the stoic mask of indifference.

"Sure!" Fox said eagerly. "If you've got time Friday night, I'm on kennel duty. Come by after chow—building K-9." He grimaced slightly. "Yeah, they named it like that on purpose, the shitheads."

Trowa laughed, and even Heero smiled at the silly pun.

"Can I bring a friend?" Trowa asked, instantly thinking of Quatre.

"Sure—so long as he likes dogs. There are two others—Proteus and Larissa."

"All named for moons of Neptune, eh?" Heero noted.

"Yeah—the training officer is an astronomy buff," Fox told them. "Me? I'm just crazy about dogs."

"Me too," Trowa said warmly, starting to think maybe he'd found a kindred spirit of his own—or at least a potential new friend. And the thought cheered him immensely, all the way to class.


	9. Roadblocks

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: Sorry for the huge delay. Between working on Witness, having a life from Hell, and being a bit unwell, I've seriously fallen behind on this. Here's hoping I can make the updates more consistent again! Thanks to all who have waited patiently and stuck with this story.

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Eight: Roadblocks

Trowa was still in a rare mood when he and Heero sprinted across the campus later that afternoon, heading for obstacle class. Not only had he gotten to enjoy his former teammate's company throughout demolitions, but they were about to rejoin their lovers for the remainder of the day.

"Slow it down, Barton," Heero chided him as they neared the bleachers. "Don't want to burn up all your energy before obstacles."

The former circus performer grinned widely, slowing to a jog. "I've got plenty left," he assured the Japanese boy. "After finding out there's a canine unit here—I just can't wait to tell Quatre!"

But there was no opportunity for chit-chat as they arrived where the rest of the cadets were gathering. It was the first time virtually the entire second-year class at the Academy was together in one place, since obstacles were required training for cadets at all skill levels. And since they were all in one place, the divisions were almost painfully obvious.

Heero and Trowa slipped up beside Duo and Quatre, nodding greetings to Jase, Austin and others from boot camp, as well as Rev and Cooper. On the opposite side of the bleachers, Reginald Darlian and his crew were clustered together in a clear display of solidarity. Of course, there were other small groups—obvious bands of friends—but the two main factions were quite apparent.

In fact, they were obvious enough to attract the attention of the instructors, when they arrived. Lieutenants Li and Wolfe were in charge of the class, and showed up flanked by two corporals to assist them.

"First things first," Lieutenant Wolfe called out after a quick assessment of the situation. "I want you boys lined up alphabetically…left to right."

It took a few moments for all the cadets to sort themselves out. And naturally Duo ended up next to Cooper, and not far from Austin, while Quatre and Heero were at the end.

The lieutenant scanned the line with a satisfied smirk. "Does anyone know why you're lined up this way?"

"Alphabet discrimination?" Duo guessed. "People whose names start with A always get stuck going first, sir."

"Not even close," grinned the officer, unfazed by the wisecrack.

"Because we're a team, sir!" Reginald sang out clearly.

Duo rolled his eyes and glanced down the line at Quatre, meeting an amused gaze.

Lieutenant Wolfe gave a nod. "And how does lining you up this way promote teamwork?"

"We can't stay in our pre-formed groups," Quatre volunteered. "It forces us to meet new people."

Duo shot him a scathing look and rubbed at the end of his nose significantly. _Brown noser!_

Quatre waited until the lieutenant looked away from him and surreptitiously stuck his tongue out at Duo in a lightning fast reply.

"Exactly. And next time we may line up by height, or alphabetically by first names, or any way I choose—because I will not watch you boys cluster in little groups of three or four friends. You _will _learn to rely on everyone at this academy as a teammate. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" came the chorus of replies…some more enthusiastic than others.

"All right then—Archer, lead the group in five laps around the outside of the course. Everyone stay in line and stay close!"

They set off at a steady run, with Rev setting a pace that was fast, but not grueling. Having been at the Academy the year before, he knew the drill, and knew that too quick a pace would burn them all out and cause the line to straggle.

Lieutenant Wolfe looked aside at his partner, shaking his head dubiously. "I give it a week before every cadet here knows exactly who came in through Peacecraft," he sighed.

The other man nodded. "It's not really the kind of secret that can be kept—not when they made the decision to put the boot camp kids into the second-year class. Maybe if they were coming in as freshmen…"

"I don't know what Merquise was thinking."

"It wasn't his call, really. It was up to the whole Board of Directors. And you _know _how well bureaucrats function—especially in large groups."

Wolfe chuckled wryly. "They should prohibit bureaucrats from having anything to do with military training."

His partner chuckled. "I'm with you on that one!"

They went back to watching their cadets run, scribbling an occasional comment on the clipboard Li was carrying, and making some tentative plans for the training regimen.

When the boys were back in their lineup, Wolfe explained the course, using the most basic loop for their first venture. The way the course was designed, obstacles could be included or bypassed, depending on the level of training. Courses could be run in pairs, groups, or singly. And while the shortest run could be completed in a matter of minutes, there were obstacles on the advanced side that required planning and teamwork if they were to be beaten at all.

Captain Chang had been the designer, after all.

The first run through obstacles was done in alphabetical order, just like the boys were lined up. It was simple enough—a dash through tires, a quick scramble under barbed wire, scaling a short wall, and running across a rope bridge, followed by a sprint to the finish.

It was essentially child's play compared to some of the courses Chang had made the boot camp boys run, and they exchanged smug glances as the first boy ran the obstacles.

Lieutenant Li made notes as each cadet took a turn, while Wolfe shouted out encouragement or criticism, depending on how the runner was handling the course.

After the first run-through, both men looked pleased, though they made it a point to tone it down in front of the boys.

"Not bad for a bunch of kids soft from summer break," Wolfe said, stalking the line with a vague smirk on his lips.

Duo exchanged a look with Austin and mouthed the words "summer break" with a skeptical look. He hardly considered the month off as an entire summer break—not that he'd ever had one anyway, living the life he had before boot camp.

Austin grinned back, but caught Wolfe's keen eye. "Something amusing, Pritchard?"

"Uh—no sir."

"How about you, Maxwell?"

Duo eyed him defiantly. "Just wondering when we'll graduate from the 'kiddy course,' sir."

Murmurs went up and down the line at his cheeky reply; but Lieutenant Wolfe refused to be baited. Instead he laughed aloud. "You'll move up to more difficult courses when you can do this one faster than Captain Chang's time."

_Well, shit._

"What's our time to beat, sir?" Reginald called from his place in line, his tone almost as defiant as Duo's.

The lieutenant eyed his cadets appraisingly. "Got a bunch of hotshots, do I?" He gave a curt nod. "Fine. We'll run the course in pairs—make it into a race. Maybe the extra competition will spur you kids to move like you haven't got lead in your asses! If more than two of you can beat Chang's average time, we'll move up to tougher courses next class." He gestured to the first and last cadets in line. "Archer and Yuy—you two take your marks."

They lined up side by side, Heero sparing an over the shoulder glance at Duo to chide him for making waves. But then as the start signal was given, the Japanese boy was all business, focused on beating not only Rev, but also whatever Wufei's time had been. And he did notice the lieutenant hadn't bothered to tell them what their target time was.

Nonetheless, when he dashed across the finish line several feet ahead of Rev, Lieutenant Wolfe gave him a nod of approval. "Better!" he called out, clicking off his stopwatch and holding it out for Lieutenant Li to note the time. "Next up—Barton and Winner."

Duo smirked as he watched his two friends square off at the starting line. While he expected Trowa to win on a straightforward speed course like this, he wondered if the athletic boy might hold back to let his lover make a good showing.

But when the start came, all bets were off, and it was clear both boys were trying to win. Regardless of being lovers, they had a competitive spirit that wouldn't be denied.

The two lieutenants exchanged glances as well, knowing enough about the boot camp boys to realize that the two cadets weren't holding back, despite their relationship. They crossed the line within inches of each other, though as predicted, Trowa edged Quatre out—barely.

"Good race," Quatre said, slapping his partner on the shoulder as they walked back to the line.

Wolfe made a gesture with the clipboard. "See that, boys? Good sportsmanship matters, too—especially here. Some day you might be in combat together, and it'd be nice to know you can rely on a teammate to watch your back regardless of any competitive training." He called up the next pair, and sent them sprinting off to complete the course.

Duo sighed deeply, his gaze roaming towards Reginald. There was just no way he could picture the arrogant jock watching his back. Frankly, he didn't intend to ever turn his back on the boy he despised so much.

But he couldn't help watching as Reginald went up against another football player in his run through the course.

In spite of his size, Reggie was damned graceful. Even Duo had to admit it—at least to himself. The boy danced through the tires with effortless speed, and slid under the barbed wire so smoothly he didn't lose a moment. His powerful arms pulled him through that obstacle in record time, and he scaled the wall in a few swift movements. Then he was balancing across the rope bridge and sprinting to the finish with impressive speed.

"Excellent!" called out Lieutenant Wolfe. He gave the boy a slap on the back as he jogged past. "Best time so far."

Duo rolled his eyes, biting his tongue to keep from sticking it out as Reggie looked imperiously at him on the way past.

All too soon Duo and Austin were lined up to race, exchanging good-natured smirks.

"Try to keep up, runt," Austin teased.

"Watch my smoke," came the quick retort.

And then they were off, both trying to show the supercilious jocks what a couple of juvenile delinquents could do.

Duo hadn't forgotten to tuck in his braid; it was becoming second nature to keep it out of harm's way during training. He flew through the tires, harking back to the days of dodging cops and other enemies on L2, and slipped under the barbed wire like a snake slithering through grass. When he came up on the other side, he concentrated on scrambling over the wall in record time, hoping that his balance on the rope bridge might gain him time over Reggie's impressive score.

He did, indeed, dash lightly across the bridge and when his feet hit the dirt again, he ran as if his life depended on it. There was no way he was going to let a bunch of swaggering jocks make him look bad!

"Maxwell—how the hell—?" Lieutenant Wolfe looked at his stopwatch in disbelief, and then just grinned and shook his head, turning back to the lineup. "Okay, kids—looks like you'll get to move up to the bigger course next class. Five of you made or beat Chang's score." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Maxwell edged out Darlian by two-tenths of a second. Yuy was third, and Winner and Barton qualified as well."

Austin and Duo exchanged high-fives as they headed back to their places in line.

Reginald scowled darkly in Duo's direction as he passed, and the braided boy smiled triumphantly, once again resisting the urge to flip him the finger. He just felt too damned good about finally gaining a victory against the arrogant jock to spoil it by acting childish.

"Sir?" Reginald spoke up firmly. "Permission to make another run?"

The lieutenant eyed him for a long moment, and then shook his head. "No need, Darlian. You did well enough."

"But, sir—." The sidelong glance Reggie threw at Duo said it all.

"No, Darlian. We're moving on to PT. I want everyone in position for pushups—now!"

The boys obediently dropped to the ground, and for the remainder of the class their instructors worked them on upper body strength, preparing them for the more strenuous climbs some of the advanced obstacles would require.

* * *

When class ended, the group dispersed, back into the smaller cliques they'd started in, and headed back to their dorms for showers before dinner.

"Nice job, Duo!" Jase said warmly, sauntering along between the braided boy and Austin. "Way to show 'em what an L2 brat can do!"

Duo grinned back at him. "Colony pride, baby."

"Nothing to do with that," Trowa chided from his other side. "You just didn't want to be beaten by a big-shot jock."

"Too true," Duo admitted. "Too true."

Heero shook his head, though he was smiling slightly. "Duo, you need to just relax. There's no reason for you to compete with Reginald."

"Sure there is. He bugs me." Duo narrowed his eyes. "And you want to beat him too, Yuy. I could see it in your face when he talked about astrophysics. Tell me you weren't gloating even a little bit that you got in when he didn't."

"I wasn't."

"Psh—yeah, right."

Heero shrugged. "Maybe a little." He flashed a rather grim look at Duo. "I'll admit to having a slight competitive streak. And, by the way, you beat _my_ obstacle course time, too."

"Oh yeah." Duo glanced aside at Heero, wondering if his lover was perturbed at having been beaten. "Not mad about that, are you?"

"I'm only mad at myself—not you. I expected you to do your best, and you did."

"Are you saying you didn't?"

"I'm saying I need to try harder next time," Heero replied noncommittally. "To beat _both _you and Darlian."

"Sore loser," muttered Duo, bumping his shoulder into Heero's teasingly as they walked. "Make it up to you later," he added in a hopeful whisper.

"Friday," Heero said firmly. "You bet your _ass_ you will."

Duo grinned widely, looking forward to his Friday night date with his lover. And yeah, he was pretty sure his ass was going to be very involved.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Quatre asked, as they paused in the quadrangle before heading for their individual dorms. "Library again, after dinner?"

"Sounds good to me," Duo shrugged. "You in, Yuy?"

"Sure."

Duo headed off with Rev and Austin, while Jase waited for Trowa.

The auburn-haired boy dawdled a moment, looking rather shyly at Quatre. "Y'wanna use the shower at my dorm?" he offered. "I wanted to tell you about someone I met earlier today."

Quatre glanced at Heero. "See you at dinner?"

"Sure," Heero shrugged, knowing that Trowa wanted to talk about Fox Endicott and the canine unit. "Later!"

Quatre fell in between Jase and Trowa, heading for Saturn. "So—who'd you meet?" he asked curiously, knowing his lover didn't generally make friends at the drop of a hat.

"Fox Endicott…and Triton, his ordnance dog."

The blonde chuckled warmly, eyes alight. "You found a dog? Here?" He shook his head. "Why does that not surprise me?"

Trowa ducked his head, smiling shyly as he explained how the dog had been running from its handler when they encountered it. "And he's a border collie," he concluded, eyes shining with happiness. "Come to find out there are three of them. And Fox gets to help with the training. He said we can come to the kennels on Friday, if you want to."

"Of course I do," Quatre asserted, a little overwhelmed by one of the longest speeches Trowa had ever made. But then, he knew how much his friend loved animals. "I suppose this will lead to you wanting to get into the canine program—."

Trowa hesitated, frowning a little. "I—I don't know. I came for the mobile suit training—but if I could work with the dogs on the side a bit, I guess I might want to."

"You know you want to," Quatre teased.

"You think they'll let you?" Jase piped up from Quatre's other side. "I mean, mobile suit studies are pretty intense from all I've heard. You might not have time for both."

"I know that," Trowa admitted. "And piloting definitely comes first." He gave a small shrug. "Won't hurt to at least find out about the dogs, though. Will it?"

"Certainly not," Quatre assured him. "Honestly, if that kid Fox can find the time, I'll bet you will, too."

"Yeah—Fox seems pretty cool," Trowa added. "His dad's the supply sergeant, I think he said."

Quatre nodded, feeling vaguely jealous. But just as quickly, he quelled that feeling. Obviously Trowa was taken with the dog—not the boy he'd met. And he'd said nothing to indicate otherwise. There was no reason for the blonde to imagine a threat where none existed.

But he was kind of glad he'd get to meet Fox on Friday—just to calm his fears.

He knew Duo would laugh at the very notion—that Quatre Winner was insecure about keeping his lover interested. The braided boy would be positively hysterical with amusement at the thought.

And yet, the doubt was there. No matter how famous his name was, and how much money his family controlled, Quatre had his own share of insecurities. Lots of them.

For one thing, he'd often hesitated to make new friends, worried that they were only interested in associating with him because of his social standing. And for another, there was the pressure to live up to the reputation. While he joked about it with Duo, citing the weight the Winner name carried over Darlian's, he simultaneously worried that he might somehow fall short of the obligation it carried.

Standing up to his father about going to the Academy had been Quatre's first serious rebellion, and he knew deep down that without the backing of his teammates, he'd never have been able to see it through.

He'd managed to dodge a bullet when it came to revealing his relationship with Trowa. But he thought his father knew—or at least suspected. And if the Winner patriarch decided to disown his son for being gay, Quatre wasn't sure what he'd do.

While his place at the Academy was not dependent on his family's reputation, he still felt like the name was a sort of shield—a guarantee against failure. Without it, he'd have only his own skills and strengths to rely on. And he wasn't at all certain he wanted to find out if they were enough.

"Quat—? You okay?"

He realized they were at the steps to the dorm, and Jase had gone on ahead, leaving him alone with Trowa—who was looking very worried.

"Oh—yes. Just thinking."

"About what?" asked the green-eyed boy gently, looking searchingly at his lover.

"Things. My family." Quatre looked up cautiously. "Us."

Trowa winced a little at the last word. "Second thoughts?" he asked quietly.

"No! Oh no! Not at all!" Quatre blurted hastily, reaching out to grab Trowa's hand without thinking. "I was just—you know—worrying a little about facing my dad some day."

Trowa shook his head slightly. "How'd you get from us talking about dogs, to—that?"

Quatre managed a wan smile. "I'm not really sure. Just—my mind took a little detour. I guess I was hoping a guy with a dog wouldn't steal you from me."

This time the auburn-haired boy looked shocked. "Steal me? God, Quat—no way in Hell!" He frowned deeply. "How'd you—why would you think—?"

Quatre laughed, shaking his head and pulling Trowa towards the door. "Forget about it," he urged. "Let's get cleaned up and head for the mess hall. I must be lightheaded from hunger or something."

Trowa simply sighed and followed his lover, wondering how the beautiful blonde boy could possibly think anyone else would turn his head. Did Quatre not realize how wonderful he was?

But then—maybe not. Maybe he didn't—any more than a part-time circus clown could fathom why a guy with Quatre's brains, money and beauty would want to be with him.

But apparently he did, and Trowa wasn't about to take that for granted. He decided as he followed Quatre down the hallway that he'd find a way to show the gorgeous blonde how very grateful he was for their relationship.

Both boys were too distracted to realize their little hand-holding moment at the dorm entrance had been witnessed.

Two boys, one of whom already had a grudge against Quatre Winner while the other had motives of his own, were surreptitiously watching from between two dorms.

"See? I told you."

"So what's your point? Winner's gay? As disgusting as that is, it's got nothing to do with the meeting tomorrow night."

"But it does! Don't you wonder where he met someone like Barton?"

"How should I know? Maybe Barton's another one of the elite rich."

"Barton's about as far from being elite and rich as the L2 street trash he and Winner hang around with. I'm tellin' you, they met at boot camp. You do a little snooping; have your spy in the bursar's office check and you'll see I'm not bullshitting you. Barton's fees were paid by the Peacecraft Foundation…just like Winner's. And Maxwell's."

A wary look was exchanged. "You better be right, or you _know _what'll happen."

"Yeah, I know," came the rather somber reply. "I've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain."

"What have you got to gain?"

The boy shrugged. "I get to stay here, and as a bonus, I get rid of the competition."

"Competition for what?"

"Heero Yuy."

The two plotters slipped away, one heading for supper, and the other back to his friends to share the newest information about the identities of the kids from Camp Peacecraft.

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, Quat—the secret to infiltration is blending in—," Duo said in as loud a whisper as he dared.

Quatre shook his head stubbornly. "Lieutenant Gervais said stealth was the best approach."

The boys were in the library, once again clustered in study groups as they reviewed the material from their latest classes.

"Stealth sounds good to me," Trowa inserted, backing Quatre to the hilt. "Honestly, you want to be invisible."

"What better place to hide than in plain sight?" Duo countered. "Seriously. I read ahead in the book, and there's a whole chapter on making yourself inconspicuous by going along with the crowd."

Heero shook his head. "I disagree. How would you accomplish a mission if you had to stay in formation?"

"I'm not talkin' about completing a mission. I'm talking about getting in the door," Duo riposted. "Once you're in, you can slip off to take care of business."

"That's more like undercover work than infiltration."

"No. Undercover work would mean staying in whatever role you used to get in for a longer period of time."

The four boys from Team Wing had ended up debating infiltration techniques as they chose topics for term papers that had already been assigned.

As Duo put it, they were tossed into the deep end right off the bat—given a workload and level of material that didn't allow for laziness or procrastination.

On the other hand, it made for some lively debates, as each boy had a slightly different take on the subject. Quatre was all for "knowing thine enemy," while Duo went a step further and suggested emulating them; Trowa liked the idea of remaining inconspicuous, while Heero had to quell his impulse to grab the bull by the horns and make a full frontal assault, and force himself to consider more subtle approaches.

"You don't actually have to _be _invisible—if you can bypass the security systems and erase all records of your presence," he pointed out.

"Ah, the technical approach!" Duo teased. "So you'd hack their systems and disable security? Not very subtle."

"Maybe my topic isn't subtlety," Heero shrugged. "Maybe it's effectiveness."

"Mine would work, too," Duo huffed, giving his lover a mock glare.

"But when you snuck into the dog kennels, that was out and out stealth," Quatre reminded him. "If we're to adopt your newest method, you'd have had to dress up in a dog suit and stroll right in."

Duo chuckled in spite of himself. "Not exactly what I'm talking about, Quat. Too extreme. But if I had the uniform of a dog handler, it'd be a piece of cake to pretend to be one. Or, heck, I could pretend to be someone assigned to pick up shit; I guarantee you none of the handlers would think twice. They'd be too glad to get out of the messy job themselves."

"Your way calls for some acting ability," Heero noted.

Duo nodded earnestly. "Just call me The Chameleon."

"So you've definitely chosen hiding in plain sight as your topic?" Quatre asked.

"I think so," replied the braided boy. "It worked well enough on the streets."

A vague frown crossed Heero's face at his lover's casual reference to L2 and his tough beginnings, and his hand dropped under the table to land gently on Duo's knee.

Duo didn't even flinch, having seen the slight dip of Heero's shoulder as he reached. "'S okay, 'Ro. Old history. I'm on top of the world now."

Quatre caught the little exchange and smiled brightly. "That reminds me…I sort of have a favor to ask."

"Whatever it is, Quat, you know you've got it," Duo grinned back.

"I want the four of us to go out to dinner this Saturday night."

Duo grimaced, trying to figure out a way to tell Quatre he didn't have any money to his name, save the little bit left over from his trip to L2.

"So long as we go Dutch," Heero replied absently, leafing ahead in his textbook to find the next set of study questions.

Quatre's glance flicked to Duo, and he immediately read the discomfort there. "Uh—I really wanted it to be my treat, Heero," he said quickly. "Kind of a gift from me to the team."

"Quat, you can't," Duo objected. "You already gave us those nice pictures."

"Those were for our graduation," Quatre argued patiently. "This would just be to celebrate our reunion here."

Trowa was scowling at his book, looking almost as uncomfortable as Duo. "You don't need to buy us stuff, Quatre. We're happy just being here."

"And I'd be happy eating something other than mess hall food just this once," Quatre pleaded, frustrated that his puppy eyes wouldn't work unless his lover looked up at him.

When there was no reply, he gave a frustrated huff. "Just think about it—okay?"

Three heads nodded agreement, and they went back to their studies, dropping the little tangent. But that didn't keep Quatre from continuing to think about it, even as they switched to studying calculus.

He hadn't really expected his friends to immediately agree to his idea. He knew neither Duo nor Trowa had much money—which was exactly why he hadn't told them _where _he wanted to take them to dinner. The five-star restaurant he'd located on line was far out of their price range, even if they'd had the normal resources of seventeen-year-olds.

But if he'd learned one thing by being born a Winner, it was that there was always a way to get what you wanted. If it couldn't be bought, it had to be won—and Quatre had a plan for winning his chance to spoil his friends just a little bit.

His lips curved in a rather devious smile as the phrase "divide and conquer" came to mind. Not that there was any malice in his plan—he had only the best of intentions. But he was going to treat his former teammates to a nice meal if it was the last thing he did!

"Quat—?"

He looked up to find Duo staring at him with a slightly worried expression on his face. "That's a kind of—scary—smile. What are you thinking about?"

Quatre blinked his wide blue eyes, letting his lips go slack. "Oh nothing, really. I just—enjoy calculus. Really."

Duo gave him a fishy look, obviously doubting the lame excuse. But then he just shook his head. "You're a puzzling guy sometimes, Quat. You know that?"

"Psh—you should talk," came a snide comment from Trowa, who had been surreptitiously watching the rather devious look on Quatre's face himself.

"Actually, _none _of you should be talking!" came a stern voice from behind them.

Heads jerked around to fix startled looks on Lieutenant Catalonia, the head librarian. She, in turn, crossed her arms and scowled, lowering rather distinctive, spiky eyebrows.

Duo gave her an appealing look that didn't even garner a response. "We can't even whisper?"

"This is a place to study, cadets—not socialize!"

"Sorry ma'am," Quatre said quickly, jumping to his friends' defense. "We _were_ discussing term papers, until I sort of got off on a tangent. Won't happen again."

Her expression softened at his conciliatory tone. "Well, try to keep your voices down," she cautioned. "If you become loud enough to disrupt other students, you'll go on report to Captain Chang and be banned from the library for whatever amount of time I deem appropriate. Understood?"

All the boys at the table nodded gravely, watching as she stalked away.

"Get a load of those eyebrows—," Duo breathed in a slightly horrified whisper. "Creepy."

Quatre snorted with laughter, hastily covering his mouth and nose to muffle the noise, and Heero glared in warning. "Maxwell—stop clowning around."

"I'm not," Duo protested in a vehement whisper. "She's scary-lookin'."

"Just because she fell for Quatre's charm instead of yours—," Trowa teased, winking over at his boyfriend.

"She fell for the apology," Duo grumbled in response. "I don't think even Quat's puppy-dog eyes put a dent in her armor. She's one cold fish!"

Quatre gave him a conspiratorial smile. "Give it time, Duo. We can wear her down," he predicted, batting his eyes teasingly.

It was Duo's turn to muffle a laugh; but when Heero's elbow poked him in the ribs—hard—he jumped guiltily and fell silent, glaring at his lover.

"Focus!" Heero hissed sternly. "Or I'll make you spend Friday night studying, instead of enjoying yourself."

Duo gave him a sidelong look. "I might like that—if I were studying anatomy—as in _yours_."

Heero just shook his head, hiding a faint smirk by turning back to his homework. "Baka."

"Yeah, but _your _baka," came the smug murmur of a reply.

* * *

The boys stayed at their studies until the library was closing for the night, and then headed back to the dorms as a group. They went first to Heero and Quatre's dorm, dropping those two off, and then Trowa, Rev, and Jase turned aside to head for Saturn, with Austin tagging along to finish making weekend plans with Jase. That left Duo on his own as he headed for Mercury, his mind occupied by the mathematics review Quatre had helped him with, as well as an upcoming project in demolitions.

His attention was pulled back to the here and now as he noticed Reginald Darlian approaching along the sidewalk, headed in the opposite direction.

"Fuck!" he muttered, half-tempted to cut across the grass to avoid the smug jock. But his pride wouldn't let him give ground, and he kept his pace steady and firm.

He had his temper in check as he drew even with the other boy, until Reggie stopped in the middle of the walkway, arms crossed belligerently. "Hey, Maxwell—I know what you are," he said contemptuously.

Indigo eyes narrowed in response. "What I _am_, Darlian?" He didn't think his sexual orientation would bother that many people, even if it became public knowledge; but he briefly wondered how the football star had figured it out.

"Yeah—an L2 juvenile delinquent piece of street trash."

Duo's jaw dropped, and then he glared hotly. "I dunno where you got your information, asshole. But it's a little out of date. My record's as clean as yours."

"Sure—now that it's been whitewashed." Reggie shook his head. "You don't belong here, Maxwell—you belong back in the gutter you came from."

"An' I suppose you intend to see to it that's where I end up?" Duo sneered.

"I don't have to do a damned thing," came the snide reply. "You'll show your true colors soon enough—."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll either flunk out, or screw up and get expelled," shrugged the other boy. "It's inevitable. A bunch of criminals and punks can't possibly have what it takes to make it through this training program. That will become quite obvious as the material gets more challenging."

"The only one likely to get expelled is someone who goes against the very rules Major Merquise laid out in his speech the other day," Duo pointed out. "As I recall, he forbade harassing anyone who came here through Peacecraft."

Reggie held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm not harassing you, Maxwell. I'm just letting you know—you're not fooling anyone. Hanging around with Yuy, Winner—guys like that. It doesn't hide what you are, and where you're from." He leaned in closer, eyes intent. "Go on home before you drag them down with you."

"Fuck you," Duo said firmly, without hesitation. "I'm here to stay, Darlian. And you better fuckin' get used to it! I earned my place here as much as you did, and I'm going to prove it by kicking your ass in each and every subject there is to learn!"

Reggie snorted skeptically. "The day you can beat me—."

"As I recall, that's exactly what I did in obstacles today," Duo retorted.

The football star flushed at the reminder, his expression going dark. "Enjoy it while you can," he cautioned. "That'll be the last victory you taste."

"That a threat?" Duo asked, his tone dangerous.

"A promise."

Duo shook his head. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Darlian." He cocked his head slightly, fixing a calculating look on the other boy. "You mess with me, and you'll lose."

"Gonna run crying to Merquise?" taunted Reggie. "Tell him someone doesn't agree with his rule book?"

Duo smiled icily. "Hell, no. I fight my own battles, Reg. I'll bring it right to your doorstep if you cross me…or any of the other Peacecraft kids for that matter…assuming you can even find out who they are." It had occurred to him that when Reggie mentioned Heero and Quatre, he didn't seem to associate them with Camp Peacecraft. It was entirely possible that so far his was the only name compromised…and he meant to keep it that way.

"We'll find out," Reggie promised. "It'll be obvious when the first quarter exam scores are posted."

"Man—you're really clueless, aren't you?" Duo said pityingly. He decided right then that there was no point in continuing the posturing. "So long, Darlian. See you in obstacles." He gave a jaunty wave of his hand and turned away, walking briskly across the quad to his dorm before the other boy could try to prolong the encounter. "Stupid, macho ass."


	10. The Art of Persuasion

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Nine: The Art of Persuasion

While Duo chose to put his encounter with Reginald on a back burner, he didn't forget about it. The next morning, he quietly filled Jase and Austin in on the way to the mess hall, letting them know that the football jock was among the opponents of the Peacecraft Initiative.

While they agreed to watch their backs, they also refused to discontinue associating with Duo on the off chance that it might link them to Camp Peacecraft as well.

"Nice try, though, Maxwell," Austin smirked, reaching around behind Jase to smack Duo on the back of the head. "Just you see if we'd throw you to the wolves and run off to save our own asses."

Jase glanced fondly at his new boyfriend. "Wouldn't bother with you at all, if you were that kind of chicken shit, Austin."

Duo just shook his head. "You two—get serious for a minute. I just want you to keep in mind that if we're hanging out together, and Darlian starts pointing fingers, everyone will know where we met."

"So what if they do?" Jase shrugged. "It's against Merquise's policy anyway. They try screwing with us, they'll only end up in a world of hurt, between what we'll do to them, and what _he _might."

"True enough," Duo admitted. He gave both boys a grateful look. "Just wanted you to know what you might be risking."

"Well whatever it is—it's not worth giving up the friendships we formed back in boot camp," Austin asserted.

Quatre and Trowa were ahead of them in the dining hall, and waved them over.

Duo nodded acknowledgement and gave a stern look to Jase. "Don't talk about this over breakfast, okay? I want to tell Tro' and Quat later, in private. Don't want Darlian thinking he's got us worked up over his bullshit."

So the morning meal was quick and cheery, as usual, and the boys quickly dispersed to go to their regular classes.

While Duo headed off to weapons class, his teammates were headed in other directions, and Quatre and Heero ended up together on their way to math.

"Hey Heero—before we get to class—," Quatre spoke up. "I wanted to talk to you about this weekend. Dinner."

"I said it'd be okay as long as—."

"I know that!" Quatre interrupted quickly. "The thing is, you know Duo hasn't got any money to speak of. There's no way we could go Dutch and get him to come along—."

"I'd be happy to treat him to dinner," Heero said frankly, giving his companion a sidelong look. "He's my boyfriend, after all. And it's not like I've ever actually gotten to take him on a date yet."

"But this wouldn't be one," Quatre pointed out smoothly. "It's a get-together for all of us. That's why I thought if you agreed to let me treat everyone to dinner, it'd be easier to get Duo to go along with it."

Heero frowned, thinking it over as they walked.

"Honestly Heero…you know how proud Duo is. He won't accept anything that smacks of charity. And in all honesty, the place I found on line is kind of pricey."

Heero's frown deepened. "How pricey?"

"Let's just say it's a place my father would probably approve of."

The Japanese boy stopped in the middle of the walkway. "Jesus, Winner! Where did you plan on going?"

"It's a five star restaurant up the coast from here," Quatre admitted carefully, wincing at the slightly horrified look on Heero's face. "Please, Heero," he pleaded. "It's not about the money. I want to do something nice for us as a group—and for Duo, because of all he went through in boot camp, and what a good friend he was to me right from the start. And if you won't let me do this for you, there's no way Duo will let me do it for him!"

Heero let out a frustrated breath. "Damn it, Winner—."

"It's just this once," Quatre insisted. "Kind of like a group birthday party. I thought we'd go out shopping in the afternoon, get something a little nicer than our uniforms to wear to dinner, and then drive up to the restaurant and have a special night out—on me—_all_ of it."

"Don't you think that as Duo's boyfriend, it's _my _job to buy him things and take him to dinner?" Heero demanded.

"Of course—and you have a whole lifetime to do that. But as his friend, I just want to indulge him for one day. I want to show him some of the finer things in life—things I can afford and he can't. And I want to do it without wounding his pride." Quatre gazed imploringly at his former team leader. "It'd mean a lot to me."

Heero sighed deeply. "I guess—if you can get Duo to agree to go—I can let you handle the finances. But only if you agree to eventually let me return the favor and treat everyone to a night out."

"Sure," Quatre agreed readily, relieved at his first victory. "As long as we can do both activities in such a way that it doesn't make Trowa or Duo feel awkward."

"Hn," acknowledged Heero, realizing as Quatre did that being unable to reciprocate might make both Trowa and Duo reluctant to accept such invitations. He shook his head as they resumed their walk towards class. "You better be acing tactics class, Winner. You could damn well sell ice cubes at the north pole!"

Quatre chuckled, trying not to sound too triumphant as they reached their destination.

* * *

While the clever blonde tactician was working his magic on Heero, Duo was passing the word to Ben about his little confrontation with Reggie. He wanted to let as many of the Peacecraft kids as possible in on the situation, so they knew who to watch their backs around. But at the same time, he didn't want to give Darlian the satisfaction of thinking he was in any way intimidated by his threats.

It was a rather fine line for Duo to walk. He wasn't used to subtlety; he was more into full frontal assault when something pissed him off. Trying to casually spread the word about his enemy, without bringing any attention to those he told, was a bit tricky.

He'd already determined that anyone he associated with was liable to be "outed" to the anti-Peacecraft group. So as he strolled from weapons class to math, he made it a point to greet new friends like Rev and Cooper just as cheerily as his boot camp pals. He knew the fact that both boys had been at the Academy the previous year would put them above suspicion, and he wanted to keep anyone who might be acting as "eyes" for Reggie as confused as possible.

Of course, since Reggie himself was in Duo's math class, it was obvious who the enemy was there. And Jase, predictably, insisted on sitting next to Duo and chatting amiably about the previous night's homework, in spite of the narrow-eyed look it drew from their enemy.

Duo sighed and scowled at his friend, keeping his voice to an undertone. "Didn't I suggest you'd be better off being less chummy with me?"

Jase grinned complacently. "And didn't I tell you to shove that bullshit notion up your ass? Seriously, Duo—it ain't gonna happen."

Duo shot a perfectly menacing look in Reggie's direction, clearly warning the football star to back off; but he didn't expect the message to connect. Not really. Darlian was too used to having his own way, and too used to being in charge of things. If he chose to persecute anyone from the Peacecraft program, he was sure to do it in a big way.

By the time he made it to English class, where Quatre was waiting for him, Duo had obsessed about Reginald Darlian far longer than he thought the jock deserved. He slid into his seat and leaned forward, tapping the blonde on the shoulder. "Hey, Quat."

Quatre turned in his seat, cocking an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"I need some tactical advice."

"About?"

"Reggie."

Quatre frowned slightly. "I know you don't like him, Duo. But honestly, as insufferable as he is, he's really done nothing to—."

"He knows, Quat!" Duo hissed urgently. "He stopped me in the quad last night and said a bunch of bullshit about Camp Peacecraft."

"Well how'd he find _that _out?" Quatre huffed.

"Who knows? The point is, he did find out, and then he said a bunch of crap about how I'll show my true colors and flunk out the first semester."

"You know you won't," Quatre assured his friend. "None of us will."

"I know that." Duo rubbed at his forehead, trying to loosen the tension. "I pretty much said all that to him, and told him to go fuck himself."

"Good."

"But—I still want to make sure all the guys from Peacecraft know that Reggie's part of whatever group is opposing the program."

"Aren't you going to tell Major Merquise?"

Duo shook his head. "Not my style, Q-man. I won't let someone else fight my battle."

"It's not yours. It's ours. And—."

"No, Quat. Darlian still didn't know you and Heero were from Peacecraft."

"But—we're always together," Quatre pointed out.

"Well, apparently he thinks I'm hanging around you two for the glory," came the dry response. "He told me not to drag you down with me."

Quatre couldn't help smirking at the ironic statement. "He really said that?"

"Yeah."

"Idiot." The blonde shook his head. "I can't believe someone as intelligent as Reginald Darlian can't see the obvious."

"Yeah, well—I can't believe he's intelligent at all," Duo drawled snidely. "But enough about that. What I really need is for you to help me come up with a way to put him in his place—completely and permanently."

"I don't know, Duo. Major Merquise was pretty clear about the penalties for anyone that's part of a group trying to undermine our training here. If we told him about Reginald's involvement—."

"—we'd be chicken-shit narcs!" Duo cut in sharply. "On top of which, we don't even know if there's an organized group at all. It might just be a few of the jocks trying to be the big bullies they're used to being." His indigo eyes lit with determination. "What we need to do is think of a way to make Darlian look like the fool that he is. And I'm counting on you for my master plan. Are you in?"

Quatre didn't hesitate. "You know I am," he asserted. "Isn't that what brothers are for?"

"Aw, love ya, man," Duo snickered, subsiding as the instructor arrived and they had to settle in for class.

When it ended, they made their way to the dining hall for lunch, and then headed off on their separate ways to afternoon classes.

* * *

Directly after lunch, Quatre and Trowa were in engineering class together, so the blonde boy made it a point to walk quickly enough to get them there a few minutes early, eager to have a moment alone with his boyfriend to turn on the charm and work "the Winner magic."

He expected Trowa to be a tougher sell than Heero. He didn't think he'd fall for the "let's do it for Duo" routine—at least not right away—and so he had to appeal to his lover on a more personal level. He waited until they arrived at class, relieved to see that they were the first two in the room, and settled in to review their notes.

"Have you thought about Saturday?" he asked casually, looking up over the edge of his book.

Trowa's hair hid his eyes, and thus his expression. "Honestly Quatre, I don't think either Heero or Duo really wants to go—."

"Not true!" Quatre asserted quickly. "Heero already said he would, and that he was okay with it being my treat."

"He did?"

The blonde nodded earnestly. "When you think about it—I mean really _think _about it, this might be the last chance we'll have for awhile to just have a little down time. And honestly, the four of us have never done anything together outside of boot camp and here. You know how you and I drove down here—and we got to just be ourselves and set our own pace. That was a great time. And I'd like to have one day like that for all four of us, where we aren't inmates or students or anything but friends out having a good time."

Trowa nodded his understanding. "I see what you mean. But are you sure your idea of a good time is the same as everyone else's?"

"Well—what's yours?"

"I dunno. I'd be just as happy if we all went off hiking somewhere and packed sandwiches…"

"We did that in boot camp—or have you forgotten the training mission?"

"Oh yeah." Trowa gave a sheepish smile. "We did kind of do that, didn't we?"

"Yes. And we've done cookouts, had a big, catered graduation party, and even eaten at a diner…but we've never just gone for a long drive, hung out at a mall, and gone to a fancy restaurant for a really amazing dinner."

"A mall?" Trowa asked, picking up on the middle of the sentence.

"Yeah, a mall," Quatre echoed. "I thought we'd hang out like regular teenagers do, and maybe get some outfits to wear to dinner…something a little nicer than uniforms."

"You want to buy us clothes, too?" Trowa demanded, looking up with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing extravagant," Quatre assured him. "At least not by my standards. Honest."

Trowa shook his head. "Your standards are a little off the charts, Quat."

"Please—!" Quatre pleaded, catching his lover by both hands and looking appealingly into his eyes. "I just want to do one really nice thing for all of us, and you know if you won't go along with it, Duo won't either. He'll get stubborn and proud and just cut off his own nose to spite his face."

"Well that sounds like Duo all right," smirked the acrobat. He pulled his lover closer, leaning in to brush a kiss across his cheek. "You've gotta know it's hard for those of us from less—privileged—backgrounds to watch you waste money on us that would've fed someone like Duo for a month back where he came from."

"I know. And maybe it's horrid of me to be willing to spend money like that—but I don't consider it a waste," Quatre explained. "I think each one of you is worth more to me than mere money, and I want to indulge you a little bit—spoil you for one single day. Is that such an awful thing?"

"Of course not," chided Trowa. "It's very sweet of you."

"Does that mean you'll let me do it?"

"You knew I would the minute you made it about Duo," replied the auburn-haired boy a bit snidely.

Quatre did, indeed, know that. He knew how much guilt Trowa still felt about what had happened to Duo in boot camp as a result of his actions, and he knew his lover would do anything he asked, if he thought it would benefit Duo.

"It's only partly about Duo," Quatre said a bit defensively. "It's mostly about having a special day for all of us—a day we deserve to spend together."

"But you know the four of us would be happy with any activity we shared," Trowa pointed out. "It doesn't have to be extravagant."

"Yes, but I don't know any other way to be."

Trowa's smirk gentled into a smile. "Sure you do. You're the most down to Earth person I know, next to Maxwell. You showed him how to make s'mores back in boot camp. And he loved that every bit as much as whatever fancy dinner you're planning for Saturday."

Quatre smiled back. "I know, love. But indulge me just this once, and let me spoil my friends?"

"I already said 'yes,'" Trowa reminded him. "You can turn off the puppy eyes now."

Blushing, Quatre looked away, blinking his eyes self-consciously.

"Thought I didn't know about them?" teased Trowa.

Quatre shrugged. "They're the last weapon in my arsenal—after logic fails."

"But it didn't this time. You had me convinced pretty much from the start."

The blonde gave his lover a fishy look. "You must be a pretty good poker player, Trowa. You don't give much away."

"It's the hair. Hard to read half an expression, isn't it?"

Quatre gave a genuine laugh, a bit flushed with his success at getting two out of his three friends to agree to his plan. "Have I told you how much I love you?" he asked with an adoring look at his boyfriend.

He was rewarded with a faint blush, as Trowa looked over at him with an unguarded smile. "You tell me that a lot, Quatre—but I never get tired of hearing it." Leaning over to steal a kiss before they were interrupted, he whispered "I love you, too."

* * *

The rest of the day flew past with classes and then physical education and hand-to-hand training. From there, the boys split up to return to their dorms for showers before heading to dinner, where they met at the table they'd begun to think of as their regular spot.

"This is starting to feel like a routine," Duo noted, sliding into his seat beside Heero with his plate heaped with food.

As usual, Heero's expression revealed nothing, but the warm look he gave his lover spoke volumes. "You like it here."

"I love it here," Duo corrected him. "I love the food, the accommodations—everything, right down to those knotted ropes on the obstacle course." His gaze wandered across to the table full of jocks at the far end of the room, and he grimaced. "Okay—everything but the assholes," he conceded.

Heero just shook his head. "Who knows? Eventually, you might even love them, too."

"Not likely!" blurted the braided boy, wagging his fork in a scolding gesture. "They're rude, arrogant, and confrontational."

"And you're none of those things," Heero chided.

Duo glowered at him. "Okay—maybe I don't mind a little confrontation now an' then. But I'm not rude!"

"No—but you can be insufferably cocky at times."

"Yeah, there's the pot calling the kettle black." Duo looked up as Trowa and Quatre arrived with their food. "Hey, the gang's all here. Now I can finish telling you exactly why I have it in for Darlian and his gang of mutants."

"Why indeed?" Trowa wondered.

"Our friend Reggie stopped me in the quad last night," Duo explained, trying to balance eating with talking.

He almost missed the alarmed look Heero directed at him, until he felt a hand settle firmly around his wrist. "What did he do?"

"Aw, nothin' 'Ro," Duo assured him. "Nothing like you're thinking. But he knows I'm from L2—and Camp Peacecraft."

Heero's grip tightened, and then he forced himself to release Duo's wrist. "What did he say? Did he make threats?"

"No. He just said I'll wash out on my own, and that my crappy upbringing will come through in the end."

The Japanese boy's face darkened. "He's full of shit, Duo, and you know it."

"I do!" asserted the braided boy. "An' I told him so. It's no big deal, really. Just—I thought we all should know about it. If he's leading the group that doesn't want us here—."

"Then Merquise should be told," came Heero's quick, curt reply.

Duo shook his head. "It doesn't have to come to that, Heero. We're big kids. We can watch our own backs. And we can put Darlian in his place without bringing Blondie into it."

"This isn't boot camp, Duo. Nor is it juvenile detention, where you can exact your own revenge. It's a training facility with no room for petty differences. As a soldier in training, even Darlian should know that."

"He's just blowin' smoke, love," Duo said dismissively around a mouthful of vegetables, pausing to chew and swallow before he continued. "I only told you so you'd know that if he's onto me, he'll probably figure out how we all got to be friends. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Trowa had been quiet throughout the discussion. But he finally spoke up quietly. "Do we know for sure he's part of the anti-Peacecraft group?"

Duo shook his head. "Don't even know that. All he said was he knew what I was, and where I was from, and that I'd be out on my ass when first-term grades are posted."

Trowa smirked reassuringly at his friend. "Obviously he doesn't know shit, does he?"

Duo grinned back. "Nope. We'll show 'em all." He looked aside at Heero. "You aren't gonna run to Merquise, are you?"

"Not yet," Heero conceded. "I'd like to find out more facts before that—learn whether Reggie's part of the group, or just an arrogant jock throwing his weight around."

"And while you do that, I'll take care of putting him in his place," Duo agreed.

"By acing every class, right?"

"Something like that."

"Duo—."

Whatever chiding Heero might have been about to deliver was interrupted when Captain Chang strolled into the mess hall.

"Hey, Dad's here!" Duo chirped happily, waving to his guardian from across the room.

Wufei rolled his eyes and made his way over to the table, nodding a greeting to everyone gathered there. "Good evening, cadets."

"Good evening, sir," came the dutiful echoes, followed by teasing snickers.

"God, we sounded like kindergarteners," Duo snorted.

"A very appropriate comparison, Maxwell," came the droll reply.

"Hey—!"

"I thought I'd stop by and ask how you're all settling in," continued the Captain, without missing a beat.

When they gave positive responses, he nodded curtly. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Any news about the colonies, or what's going on out there?" Quatre asked carefully, knowing the officer might not be able to elaborate much.

"Just the usual tension and political bluster," he shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable with the topic. "All I want you boys to concentrate on is your studies."

Duo glanced slyly at Heero. "Well I plan on dividing my time between work and—play," he told Chang. Then he blinked wide eyes at his guardian. "In proper proportions, of course."

Wufei just smiled patiently. "I've already spoken to your instructors, and judging from their comments, you're devoting plenty of time to studying." He put a hand on Duo's shoulder. "Keep up the good work."

The braided boy blushed deeply, suddenly at a loss for words, and he turned his attention back to his plate rather quickly. "I'll do my best, sir," he mumbled, uncomfortable with the praise.

Heero grinned unabashedly at Wufei, whose onyx eyes twinkled with mirth. "Something on your mind, Yuy?"

"Can you say 'proud parent'?" he teased quietly.

It was Chang's turn to blush, though he covered it with a shrug and a dismissive gesture. "Anyway—I also wanted to pass the word along that a shipment of mail arrived today. You can check with the office to see if you received anything." He strode off to pass the word to other cadets as well.

Quatre sighed, looking across the table at Duo. "What do you want to bet at least ten of my sisters wrote?"

"I'm sure they did," Duo replied with a shake of his head. "Hilde probably did, too. Wanna go gather up the spoils after dinner?"

"What about study time at the library?" Heero reminded them.

"We can meet you there," Quatre offered. "If you'll stop by my room and grab my books on tactics and infiltration, I won't have to make a trip back to the dorm."

"Sure."

* * *

In the end, Heero took both Quatre's key and Duo's, and he and Trowa headed for the dorms to bring their study materials, while their lovers went off to the mail room to see if they had letters to pick up.

As expected, Quatre received a handful of messages, which he tucked into his pocket to read later. He also accepted a letter for Trowa that appeared to be from Catherine, while Duo got one from Hilde that was so thick it barely fit in the envelope.

Duo happily ripped open his letter as he and Quatre headed across campus towards the library. "Shee-it!" he blurted. "She musta wrote ten pages!" He shuffled through the voluminous letter, eyes wide.

"She must have a lot of news to tell you." Quatre perked up, as he realized Hilde's letter might just put Duo in a good enough mood for him to broach the subject of his Saturday dinner plans. "Maybe you could fill us all in when we get to the library."

"Y'mean the library with Lieutenant 'Attila the Hun' making sure no one freakin' breathes too loud?" Duo shook his head, scanning the first page of the long letter.

"I'm sure Lieutenant Catalonia is only trying to do her job," the blonde said soothingly.

"Didn't know they had job descriptions that included harassment and bullying," came the mumbled reply. "Oh—wow. Hilde says Howard's business has practically tripled in the past couple of weeks; someone's buying up a lotta scrap." Duo frowned as he kept walking, his pace slowing a bit.

"What?"

"Just—." Duo stopped in his tracks, turning to the next page. "I guess Howie's worried that maybe the folks buying all the scrap metal are trying to build weapons—maybe even mobile suits."

"Oh, that's awful!" Quatre breathed, his eyes shining with concern. "Has he informed the authorities?"

"On L2?" Duo scoffed. "Quat, aside from the fact that there's not a lot of law enforcement on L2, what little there is, is mostly corrupt. If Howie ratted out his buyers, the cops would just toss him in jail as an accomplice."

"But who's in charge up there?"

Duo shrugged. "Supposedly L2 has an independent government—but they answer to the Alliance, and it's Alliance troops they call in to keep the peace when local muscle isn't enough." He glanced up distractedly, resuming his walk. "How is it done on L4?"

"There's a very well-organized force of government peace officers. I don't think Alliance troops have ever had to intervene."

"Well they do on L2," came the somewhat bitter reply. "And they don't seem to give a shit about collateral damage, either." His jaw tightened with resolve. "When I'm a pilot, I'm gonna be damned sure to protect civilians—not let 'em become statistics."

"War isn't that tidy, Duo," his friend pointed out somberly. "If there's actually a conflict coming, I fail to see how civilian casualties can be avoided." He frowned deeply. "That's why I hope the diplomats and politicians can work things out peacefully."

"Yeah, I guess I do, too," Duo admitted. "I don't like thinking about a real war out in the colonies. There'd be a lot of damage—and a hell of a lot of death." He shook off the somber mood. "Besides, I wanna stay here at the Academy as long as possible, with you guys and a chance at some education."

Quatre smiled warmly at him. "I feel the same way. As a matter of fact, since we're kind of on the subject, I wondered if you thought about my idea for Saturday."

"Um—here's the thing, Quat—." Duo's reply was cut short as they rounded a corner and bumped squarely into Reginald Darlian and one of his teammates.

Duo stumbled back, losing his grip on Hilde's letter, which fluttered to the ground, scattering in all directions. "Sonofa—." Duo knelt to retrieve his pages, not yet realizing who he'd collided with.

"What're you—nearsighted as well as dumb?" Reginald sneered, elbowing his teammate in a conspiratorial gesture.

Duo looked up from snatching a page that was about to slide under a bush. "You!" he snapped irritably. Then his attention shifted away again. "Quat! Can you get that one?"

Quatre hastily grabbed a page that was being blown down the sidewalk, and then glared at Reginald. "You might at least help pick up what _you _knocked out of Duo's hands," he scolded.

"Hey—_he _walked into _me_."

"You both walked into each other," Quatre retorted. "And that's not the point. It's simply good manners to apologize for an accident and help fix it."

"What would L2 street trash know about manners?" Reginald shot back, casting an imperious glance at Duo, who was standing and trying to brush the sand off the knees of his uniform.

"He's got better manners than you!" Quatre said coldly.

"Right," came Reginald's mocking reply. "On L2 eating with utensils instead of fingers can pass as good manners."

Duo's knuckles were white on the hand gripping a fistful of crumpled pages. "I may just be a street kid from L2, Darlian. But at least I don't have to trash other people to feel good about myself."

Reginald colored at the jibe, his dark eyes narrowing. "Maybe you just aren't bright enough to realize how pathetic you are."

"And maybe I'm just secure enough to not give a shit about your opinion!"

Despite Duo's stinging reply, Quatre sensed a rising tension and insecurity in his friend, and so he physically stepped between him and his enemy. "Move along, Darlian!" he snapped curtly. "Since you haven't got the manners to help out here, at least get out of the way."

Reginald opened his mouth to refuse, but subsided when he saw the dangerous gleam in the aquamarine eyes. "Sure, Winner—climb right down in the gutter with him, why don't you?" he tossed out carelessly, turning on his heel and striding off with his teammate close behind.

"At least there'll be better company there than with you!" Quatre threw after him. He turned to see Duo regarding him with an expression that wavered between amused and miffed. "What?"

"Just—I'm not sure if that last comment was more insulting to Reggie or to me."

Quatre thought back over it for a moment. "Oh—I didn't mean to suggest you belonged in a gutter, Duo!"

"I know," grinned the braided boy. "That's why I'm not taking offense. I know what you meant by it."

"Good." Quatre helped Duo smooth out and rearrange the pages of Hilde's letter into numerical sequence again before they resumed their walk.

"Lucky for us she numbered 'em," Duo pointed out, waving the stack of pages, before folding them and tucking them away in his back pocket to read later.

"Well, you could probably figure out the right order—eventually," shrugged his friend. He glanced aside at the braided boy as they neared the library. "You know, Duo, I meant what I said to Reggie. You _do _outclass him, you know."

"Thanks, Quat." Duo ran a hand down his uniform in a self-conscious gesture. "Trouble with guys like him is, unless you're royalty, or have more money than God, they think they have the right to look down on you—treat you like a second-class citizen."

"You're not second-class anything!" Quatre asserted.

Duo shrugged with feigned nonchalance. "'S okay. I'm used to it. Hell, you can dress me up in a uniform and call me a cadet—but the street kid shows through."

"Only if you let him," scolded the blonde. "As smart as you are, Duo Maxwell, you can fit in anywhere you want to. In fact…you'll even fit right in at the restaurant I picked for dinner on Saturday. It's a couple of hours away—on the waterfront—a really nice place." He dared another sidelong glance, trying to read Duo's expression.

Duo's jaw tightened just a bit. "It sounds nice, Quat. But honestly, I don't have a lot of money to spend on stuff like that. I think I should just beg out of it now."

"But you don't _need _money—it's my treat."

"That's very generous of you, but I'm not a charity case. I've got a roof over my head and three squares a day here. I don't need to eat out at some fancy place when there's a perfectly good mess hall that doesn't require me to borrow from a friend."

"Even if it would make that friend deliriously happy?"

Duo sighed in frustration. "Can't I make you deliriously happy without you spending money on me?"

"Of course you can," Quatre assured him. "But I really have my heart set on this. It's my way of throwing a party celebrating us all being here at the MSC Academy together. I planned for us to stop at the mall and pick out some outfits for dinner—then drive up the coast to the best restaurant I could find within range for a day trip."

"Outfits?" Duo asked, latching onto the bit where Quatre revealed the second part of his master plan. "Quat—."

"Well we can't walk into a five star restaurant dressed in uniforms!"

"I can't walk into a five star restaurant at _all_," Duo countered.

"You certainly can, in the right attire. I'll bet in a classy suit, you'd look more the part of royalty than a big, blocky football player like Reginald. And besides, I'm buying outfits for Trowa and Heero too." Quatre mock-scowled at his best friend. "Duo Maxwell—are you going to tell me you'd refuse a gift from me?"

"One that costs _that _much?"

"_Any _one!" The blonde crossed his arms stubbornly. "For Allah's sake, Duo, are you going to put pride ahead of friendship? And after I chewed out Darlian for lacking manners! Heero and Trowa were gracious enough to let me have my way in this."

"Trowa's your boyfriend, and Heero—."

"Heero what?"

There was a long pause while Duo mulled it over. "How the hell did you get Heero to agree to this? He couldn't have fallen for the puppy dog eyes!"

"He didn't," Quatre shot back. "I dazzled him with logic."

Duo gave a derisive snort. "Right. Logic." He looked suspiciously at Quatre. "Seriously, man. How'd you persuade him?"

"I think he just realizes it might be our only chance for a day off," Quatre mused. "By next weekend, we'll be hip-deep in our studies, and it's not likely we'll have a whole day to enjoy ourselves. We'll have too many tests and term papers."

"True," Duo conceded. "But honestly, we could have just as much fun grabbing sandwiches and heading to the beach…"

"We can do that for lunch," Quatre offered quickly, latching onto the vague suggestion. "We'll leave early, stop at the mall for our dinner clothes, and pick up some fast food to take out to the shore. Then after we've done that, we can change in the car, or in a public restroom if they have 'em near the beach—and then head up to dinner. It'll be great!"

Duo stared at the beaming expression of happiness on Quatre's face and felt his resolve weaken. "Aw—Quat—."

"Please!"

Under the full force of Quatre's best puppy eyes, Duo surrendered.

"Fine!" he snapped irritably.

"You'll come?" Quatre practically squeaked in delight.

"Yes, I'll come," sighed the braided boy.

"And you'll let it be my treat?"

"If it makes you happy."

"Very happy!" Quatre grinned, pulling Duo into a tight hug. "If I can't spoil my almost-brother, who _can _I spoil?" He pushed back to arm's length, smiling warmly. "You're the best, Duo!"

Duo rolled his eyes. "You can turn off the charm, Kitty-Quat. I already said 'yes.'"

Quatre smirked, toning down his exuberance as they stepped into the library. But he couldn't help thinking "That's why they call me 'Winner.'"

Duo sidled up next to him, dropping his voice to a breathy whisper. "We're now entering the Zone of Silence…keep your eyes open for Commandant Catalonia."

The blonde giggled, stifling it by clapping a hand over his mouth just before they padded quietly past the aforementioned librarian's desk.

"Good evening boys," she said, arching a spiky eyebrow as they passed.

Duo made a motion to mimic locking his lips and throwing away a key, and gave a jaunty salute to the stern woman, while Quatre just smiled apologetically and hurried after him.


	11. New Experiences

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: Okay, sorry for the huge delay…plot issues…life issues…you name it, I got it! But there's no good excuse. I'll try to be more consistent in the future and get this story back in motion.

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Ten: New Experiences

Duo and Quatre joined their friends in the library, the former sliding into the seat Heero had saved for him, while the latter took one next to Trowa.

"You got mail," he whispered, passing the envelope to his lover.

Trowa's eyes lit up, and he quickly tore into the letter, pulling out several pages of writing and a fistful of pictures. "Nanashi," he breathed in delight, shuffling through the snapshots.

"Oh, can I see?" Duo asked eagerly, holding out a hand.

Trowa passed the pictures around, among the boys from Team Wing as well as their new friends, and everyone marveled at the sight of the big, tawny dog leaping over obstacles and doing a variety of challenging tricks.

"Aw, Tro', he's awesome," Duo said in a low tone, keeping one eye out for Lieutenant Catalonia.

"She says in the letter that he knows how to open latches on half the cages," Trowa said with a proud grin. "They had to put locks on them, or risk having him inadvertently set a lion free."

"He sounds smart," Quatre spoke up, knowing how important the dog was to his boyfriend.

"Too smart," Heero added, though his eyes had a humorous glint to them. "He'll be trouble for your sister."

Trowa nodded, still smirking. "She's already realized that. But I think she's up to the challenge." His green eyes turned pensive. "I wonder if they'd consider him for an ordnance dog here…"

"What's an 'ordnance' dog?" Duo asked, looking up from the pictures.

"They're trained to locate bombs and stuff," Trowa explained.

"An' they have 'em here?"

Trowa nodded.

"You found dogs here already?" Duo marveled, shaking his head.

"Yeah. You know me," came the almost shy response. "If there's an animal within a mile, I'll find it. Turns out they've got a couple of bomb-sniffing dogs on the base, and I bumped into the fellow who trains them."

"You should ask Chang about Nanashi then," Duo suggested. "Or if you'd like, I'll do it for you. Seeing as he's my guardian and all…"

Trowa flashed him a grateful smile. "Would you maybe mention it? And I'll ask the kid I met—see if he knows the process for getting a dog into the program."

Quatre resisted the urge to slip an arm around Trowa—both to congratulate him on how clever his dog was, and to remind him whose lover he was. The blonde boy was pretty sure he wouldn't feel at ease until he met this "Fox" guy personally, and knew whether he might be competition.

"Well, I'm looking forward to Friday," he told Trowa, trying for a supportive and casual tone—trying to keep any hint of jealousy or insecurity out of his voice. "But _Saturday's_ going to be even better."

Trowa glanced at Duo, who gave a wan smile and a shrug. "Yeah, Quat talked me into his big dinner plan," he admitted, receiving a gentle nudge from Heero's elbow and a smile and nod when he looked up into the blue eyes.

"I'm glad," Heero said simply. "It will be a nice outing for all of us."

With the issue of their Saturday plans settled, and Quatre as content as a cat who'd swallowed a canary, the boys turned their attention to their work, and spent a couple of hours studying, before bidding each other a good night and heading back to their dorms.

Their evening study time was already becoming a comfortable routine for all of them, and one which enabled them to push thoughts of war far into the back of their minds, while they focused on their classes and training.

With so much to occupy their time and thoughts, not a one of them had any trouble falling soundly asleep each night, and yet waking rested and eager to take on the next day's challenges.

* * *

Thursday morning passed with its usual flurry of activity, rushed greetings over breakfast and then brisk walks to their classes. And with the upcoming weekend to look forward to, as well as their Friday night plans, the boys from Team Wing were feeling on top of the world.

Or at least, they were until Heero's day got quite thoroughly ruined at the end of his astrophysics class.

He'd finished copying the assignment and was packing up his books to leave when he noticed Reginald Darlian walk into the classroom and approach the instructor.

He spared all of two seconds wondering what the football star was doing there, and then he slung his backpack over a shoulder and headed for the door.

"Cadet Yuy! Could I see you a moment?"

He paused, turning around to face the teacher. "Yes sir?"

"I believe you and Cadet Darlian are acquainted?" he asked, gesturing Heero back to them.

Heero nodded, eyeing Reggie warily as he approached. "We've met," he conceded.

"Ah, that's good. Darlian here just re-took the entrance exam for astrophysics and passed. He'll be joining the class next week."

Heero gaze impassively at the smiling jock. "Congratulations."

"What I was hoping—," the instructor continued eagerly, overlooking the tension between the boys, "—is that you could spend some time tomorrow evening tutoring Darlian to bring him up to speed."

"Tomorrow?" Heero asked in dismay, recalling his date with Duo.

"It would be the best time," Lieutenant Preston asserted. "That way he can jump right into the next module over the weekend and be ready to tackle next week's lessons."

"Um—."

"Is it a problem?" came a slightly sharper inquiry.

Heero grimaced slightly, not wanting to turn down a request by an instructor. "It's only a week's worth of material. Are you sure—?"

"Yes, he needs the help," came the quick reply, accompanied by a frown.

"Can't it wait until Sunday?" Heero asked hopefully.

Reggie shook his head. "I've got practice all afternoon. How about Saturday?"

It was Heero's turn to decline. "I promised some friends we could get together and go for a ride Saturday." A frown settled on his brow. "What about tonight?"

"I'm part of a study group for chemistry," Reggie said apologetically. "We reserved time in the lab tonight."

"So—tomorrow it is!" Lieutenant Preston declared, clapping Heero on the shoulder. "I appreciate this, Yuy. There's a staff meeting tomorrow evening that I can't miss." He stuffed a folder into Heero's hands. "This is the material you can review together. You showed excellent understanding in class this week, so I'm sure you're qualified to explain anything Darlian has questions about. And there's a brief question and answer sheet to test his comprehension. I'll expect him to bring it to our next class."

Heero nodded numbly, staring down at the folder with a pensive scowl on his brow, and then turned and left.

The whole way to infiltration, Heero pondered the best way to explain the change in plans to Duo. He knew his lover would be disappointed, if not downright pissed.

"Whoa—Yuy! Careful where you're going!"

He looked up to see that he'd very nearly walked right into Trowa, who was waiting at the door to the classroom. "Sorry," he shrugged, waving the folder he still clutched in a white-knuckled grip. "I was preoccupied."

Trowa just shook his head and opened the door for him. "Try not to trip over any desks," he teased.

Heero shot him a snide look and walked past. But instead of concentrating on the day's lecture, he was preoccupied with gloomy thoughts of how much breaking their date would upset Duo.

He decided 'fessing up to the change in plans as soon as possible was probably the best solution—the one least likely to set Duo off, anyway—but he wanted to steal a moment alone with his lover to try to soften the blow as much as he could.

He didn't get that private moment during the busy lunch hour, which brought the usual groups together in the mess hall, fueling up before their long afternoon of classes and then obstacles.

Duo was in rare form, expounding upon the great time he'd had in demolitions class that morning. "So then Pyro pulls this thing out of his pocket that looks like—I dunno—a rubber eraser or something. He dips the freakin' thing in water, an' then throws it in the trash. Next thing you know there's this 'whump' sound, and papers are flyin' _everywhere_!" His eyes were shining as he gulped down his juice to wet his throat. "It was totally cool!" he concluded with a grin of pure delight. "Water activated explosives!"

"You're spoiling the surprise for us, Maxwell," Trowa chided. "Yuy and I have got demolitions after lunch."

Duo shook his head. "Naw—Pyro said he's got a different demonstration for the afternoon class—just so we _can't _give away his surprise."

Quatre looked up over his sandwich, a slight pout firmly in place. "It's not fair!" he asserted. "I got put in tactics instead of demolitions. I don't even get to see all the fun stuff you're talking about."

"Aw, don't worry, Quat. I'll borrow some of his toys and do a private demonstration sometime."

"Borrow?" Heero asked, frowning.

Duo nodded earnestly.

"You expect an instructor to let you 'borrow' explosives?"

"Why not?"

"Because they're dangerous," Heero pointed out.

Duo grinned dauntlessly. "Pyro says they're only dangerous in the wrong hands."

Trowa couldn't quite hide a wry smirk. "Y'know, I'm not sure his having a nickname like 'Pyro' inspires confidence in the guy."

"It does for me," Duo shrugged. "The fact that he still has all his fingers intact is enough to convince me he knows what he's doing."

"Good point," Trowa conceded.

"He's not going to let you take explosives out of the training area," Heero predicted. "Not if he's a responsible instructor."

"He will if he trusts me," Duo countered complacently.

"You've had two classes!" Heero chided. "How can he know you well enough to trust you?"

"Well I don't expect him to let me have 'em _now_," Duo scoffed. "I figured in a few weeks."

Heero just shook his head. "I wouldn't bet on it."

"Speaking of betting—," Trowa spoke up. "How's that chemistry wager going, Duo?"

The braided boy shrugged. "So far, so good. I'm a natural."

"A natural _what_ though?" teased the other boy.

They finished up the meal and were gathering their things to leave, when Heero edged over to Duo, thinking that he might be able to take him aside for a moment. "Hey, Duo—."

"Hm?" The braided boy looked up with wide eyes, warmth glimmering in their depths.

"Um—about tomorrow—," Heero stammered, feeling his stomach tighten with dread.

Quatre slipped smoothly in between them, catching Duo by the arm. "Mind if I borrow him, Heero? I need to ask him something on the way to infiltration." He was still brooding about the upcoming meeting with Fox, and wanted his best buddy to reassure him that Trowa wouldn't dump him for a good-looking guy with a dog.

"Actually, I—." Heero gave up, sighing in frustration. "I'll catch you later, Duo."

"Sure thing." With the flash of a smile, Duo was off with Quatre.

Trowa eyed Heero questioningly.

"What?" demanded the Japanese boy, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over a shoulder.

"Nothin'," came the nonchalant reply as they fell into step with each other. "Just kinda wondered what you were trying to tell Duo—about tomorrow."

"Just that I can't make our date after all," Heero growled irritably, scowling at the ground as they walked.

"You had a date?"

"Kind of."

"Ah."

"'Ah' _what_?"

"You two were going back to the dorm and screw each other senseless, weren't you?"

Heero felt a blush creep up his neck. "I made Duo a promise—back in boot camp—that we'd have a whole night to ourselves eventually. I was planning to make good on my promise."

Trowa smirked. "You say that like it's a chore."

Heero couldn't help chuckling faintly in return. "Not at all," he admitted. "But—well—now something's come up, and I can't give Duo the time I planned."

Trowa snorted. "Well something _would've _'come up.'"

"Not funny, Barton. You know there's more than sex between Duo and me. It was the idea of having privacy and time together that was really the point of it." He sighed again. "I just don't know how well he'll take it if I cancel on him."

The auburn-haired boy gave a short laugh. "He'll be pissed as hell, Yuy, and you know it. That's why you let Quatre whisk him away without trying harder to talk to him first. Avoidance."

"Fuck you, Barton."

"Not in this lifetime. Duo's the jealous type."

"Asshole," Heero muttered irritably.

"Maybe you can make it up to him Saturday…after dinner."

Heero shrugged. "Maybe…assuming he's still speaking to me."

"He will be."

"Did Quatre shanghai you into his clothes shopping spree as well?"

Trowa nodded. "Yeah. Honestly, if I don't let him treat us all to new outfits for dinner, he's afraid Duo will be too proud to accept one."

"He's probably right," Heero agreed.

"So…you're gonna let Quatre buy you clothes and pay for dinner, too?"

Heero nodded. "I don't see how to avoid it without making Duo feel—."

"—like a charity case?" Trowa hung his head slightly as they walked. "To tell you the truth, I kind of feel that way, too. It really kind of—rankles—that I can't even afford a nice enough outfit for the place Quatre wants to go."

"Barton—your net worth in dollars has nothing to do with your net worth to Winner. He's far from shallow, that one."

"I know, or he wouldn't have given me the time of day—ever. I just—hate having him spend a lot of money on me."

Heero snorted. "Same here…but for Duo's sake, I let him convince me to swallow my pride, just for a day."

"It really means a lot to him, doesn't it? To do something special for us all."

"Yes, it does. And that's another reason I agreed."

They walked for a few moments in silence, and then Trowa glanced at Heero with a smirk. "Think he played us?"

"Like a Stradivarius," Heero replied unhesitatingly. "But you know, Barton—let's just let him have his fun, hm?"

"Devious little shit that he is—yeah, let's," Trowa chuckled back.

* * *

They didn't see their respective partners again until everyone assembled at obstacles later that afternoon, and Heero figured he'd have to wait until after class to come clean to his lover.

But when they lined up at the course, there was a young woman in uniform standing with Lieutenants Li and Wolfe.

She had short, dark hair in an almost boyish style, and moved with crisp efficiency, a clipboard tucked firmly under one arm.

"Good afternoon," she greeted the ranks of boys standing ready. "My name is Lieutenant Noin, and I'm in charge of mobile suit classes. Due to a step-up in our training timetable, I'm going to borrow a few of you each day from calisthenics or obstacles and subject you to some basic aptitude exercises."

"I'd like the following individuals to come along with me: Jergins, Olin, Willis, Gonzalez, McGuire, Maxwell and Lund."

Duo darted a quick glance at his former teammates, and then joined the other boys whose names had been called, following their new trainer off towards the restricted area of the base, where the mobile suits were kept.

Each boy had to pass through a retinal scan and be logged into the system before they were finally in the hangar, looking at an impressively-tall mobile suit.

Duo was awestruck at the size of the gleaming metal monster; all the pictures and schematics didn't come close to seeing the real thing.

"Today's exercise will be fairly simple, cadets," the lieutenant told them, gesturing to the sleek piece of machinery. "You've all been in simulators, so you know how the controls of a mobile suit function. The only difference will be that you're in an actual working model. You'll strap in, power up the suit, and take it through some maneuvers on the course out back. Depending on how quickly you adapt to the controls and handling, I may ask each of you to perform different tasks…so don't try watching the guy who goes before you to try to get a leg up on the competition."

She glanced down at her clipboard, and then up at the assembled cadets, her glance lingering on Duo for an extra few seconds.

"I don't expect miracles. Some of you may stumble and fall; mobile suits can feel quite awkward at first. Don't think you've failed just because you have to struggle at this. Everyone learns at their own pace. Part of it is natural aptitude, but even more depends on practice and acquired skill."

She quickly reviewed the procedures for strapping in and starting up the machines, and then eyed the rather awed group with a faint smirk. "Anyone care to volunteer to go first?"

Duo's hand shot up at once, and the woman's smirk widened into a smile. "Why am I not surprised, Maxwell?" She gave a small nod. "Well, get to it then!"

He took the helmet she held out and clambered eagerly into the suit, strapping himself into the pilot's chair with hands that were almost shaking with excitement.

"All ready in there?" came her voice over the headset.

"Yes sir," he asserted, his gaze scanning the instruments as he took hold of the controls.

"Start 'er up then."

Duo felt a rush of exhilaration as he powered up the mobile suit, the roar and thrum of the engines igniting an answering quiver in his muscles. "Hot damn," he muttered. "I was fuckin' _born _for this!"

A brief chuckle sounded in his ear. "Glad you like it, Maxwell. But can the chatter and listen up for my directions."

"Yes sir!" he grinned back, taking the correction in stride.

"Take a heading of nine-zero and proceed at half speed while you get used to the feel of the controls."

"Consider it done." Duo followed her instructions to the letter, taking the mobile suit out for his first walk.

He found the controls just a tiny bit sluggish, forcing him to allow for a lag between his movements and the suit's response. But once he grew accustomed to it, he was able to react to Noin's instructions almost instantaneously.

"Increase speed, turn to heading one-eight-zero and fire on target Alpha."

"I'm on it!" he replied, following her directions and using the mock weaponry to take out the designated target.

While there wasn't a spectacular explosion or anything to mark the occasion, he _did _have the satisfaction of seeing it topple grandly to the ground.

"God, this is cool," he couldn't help blurting out triumphantly.

"Focus, Maxwell! Turn to vector one-nine-five and engage opposition."

Duo followed her orders, only to see two "opponents" converging towards him. He headed straight between them, scoring a hit on the left one, before sending it into the path of the other. While his own suit took a simulated hit, there was minimal "damage" and he continued on the course Lieutenant Noin directed him through.

He lost track of time, simply reacting to commands and concentrating on maintaining control of the suit, while executing his orders as quickly as possible. And when he heard, "Course complete—return to starting point and power down," he heaved a sigh of relief, realizing he was actually tired and nearly panting from exertion.

Noin was talking urgently with a couple of aides, making notes on her clipboard as he went through the dismount procedures and handed his helmet off to the next cadet in line.

"Maxwell—good job," was all Noin said, but the quick flash of a smile made Duo grin back like a loon.

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

She turned her attention to the next cadet, but the aide gestured Duo over. "C'mon, kid—gotta take some stress readings."

"Stress?" Duo asked blankly. "That wasn't stress; it was a blast!"

"Blood pressure, heart rate, respiration…standard post-performance measurements."

Duo followed the aide over to a health station, standing patiently while the man took his blood pressure and other readings. And by the time he headed over to the bleachers to sit with the other boys, he'd caught his breath and could feel the sweat cooling on his skin, though he was still so high on adrenaline that he practically bounced as he walked.

"How was it?" asked a kid Duo didn't know.

"Totally awesome," he asserted. "God, I can't even describe it!"

He turned his attention to the course, where the next cadet seemed to be struggling a bit more than he had—his movements slower and clumsier than Duo's had been. But he was able to complete all the tasks Noin demanded of him, though Duo noticed there were fewer than he had done.

Noin caught his curious glance as she was calling the next cadet. "It's a timed exercise, Maxwell. You were quicker, and so you completed the entire gamut of tasks." Her smile flashed again. "You did good, kid."

Duo beamed, while she returned her attention to her training exercises. And when she dismissed the boys for dinner, they were all babbling excitedly about their first experience in a working mobile suit.

They hit the dining hall in a cluster, so busy sharing their thoughts and impressions that they hardly noticed anyone else until they'd worked their way through the food line and dispersed into the crowd.

But Heero had been watching Duo since he entered the room, noting the way he flew through the chow line and the spring in his step as he bounded over to their table. His determination to tell Duo about their broken date faltered as his lover threw himself into a seat with a positively exuberant expression on his face.

"Had a pleasant afternoon, did you?" Quatre teased.

"Shit, Quat, it was awesome!" Duo burst out excitedly. "Man, the power in those suits—! It was like—I dunno—just _awesome_."

Heero smiled indulgently, impressed that for once Duo was at a loss for words.

"Real articulate," Trowa chided. "C'mon, Maxwell—surely you can come up with something a bit more—specific."

Duo shook his head vehemently. "I swear, Tro'. Even the simulator didn't come close!" he was all but quivering with suppressed energy, and he leaned in a little closer to Heero, lowering his voice. "God, 'Ro—it was amazing. An' you don't know how badly I want to fuckin' tackle you to the floor right now."

Heero raised an eyebrow, a faint flush creeping up his cheeks. "Piloting a mobile suit makes you—horny?"

Duo nodded, eyes practically aglow. "Want you so bad right now! You have no idea—."

"Um—we're in the mess hall," Heero reminded him, glancing carefully around the room.

"Yeah, I know—otherwise we'd be horizontal by now," smirked Duo.

He dug into his food, answering questions from Trowa and Quatre about the mobile suit between mouthfuls, while Heero waged an internal debate over whether or not to dampen his lover's spirits by bringing up the subject of the next night's ruined plans.

It wasn't until the meal was nearly over that he caught an intent pair of green eyes fixed on his face.

Trowa cast a questioning look his way, then darted a glance at Duo, and Heero scowled a warning, giving an almost imperceptible shake of his head. He'd tell Duo when he was ready; and at the moment, he wasn't willing to ruin the boy's happy evening.

He almost jumped out of his skin when a warm hand settled on his arm.

"Hey, 'Ro—wanna walk me back to my dorm? I'd invite you in, but I promised a couple of the guys we could go over our notes from demolitions."

"Oh. Sure." He stood up quickly, and as Duo turned away, he caught Trowa's eye. "First thing tomorrow," he mouthed, giving a slight shrug.

The return look was skeptical, and Trowa shook his head and sighed, turning his attention back to Quatre, who was sketching out some battle maneuvers he'd learned in tactics class on a spare napkin.

Duo barely waited until they were clear of the mess hall and in the privacy of the shadows outside before throwing himself into Heero's arms and kissing him hungrily. Having expected something of the sort, Heero was more than prepared to return the favor, only pulling away when they heard the voices of others approaching.

"C'mon, Maxwell," he said a bit raggedly. "Let's get you back to your dorm before we end up wasting all your study time."

Duo grinned cheekily, sauntering along beside him. "Wouldn't be wasted," he said smugly. "But you're right—I should get going."

They made it to the dorm in a matter of minutes, but weren't able to share another kiss, since there were several students out and about in the quad.

"See you tomorrow morning," Heero told his lover, giving him a fond look and a reassuring wink.

Duo's cheerful expression softened into a wistful one. "Boy am I glad I only have to suffer for another twenty-four hours—then you're all mine." He licked his lips, his gaze dropping to Heero's. "Can't wait, love."

"I know," Heero replied, cringing internally and cursing himself for a coward as Duo turned and bounced off into his dorm to join his classmates.

"Fuck fuck _fuck_!" Heero hissed under his breath, tempted to try tracking down his astrophysics teacher the next day and try to beg out of the assignment. He didn't know which was worse—disappointing an instructor, who had placed a great deal of faith in his abilities by asking him to tutor a new student, or disappointing Duo, who was counting on him to keep his promise of having a soft bed and an uninterrupted night together.

There was just no easy way out.


	12. Handling Disappointment

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Eleven: Handling Disappointment

Heero didn't sleep particularly well that night, and the next morning at breakfast, Duo was nearly as bouncy and elated as he'd been the evening before. He was already sitting with Quatre, Trowa, Jase and Austin, as well as several of his new friends, when Heero took the seat he'd saved beside him.

"Morning!" Duo chirped brightly, sparing him a brief, warm glance before turning back to Rev. "So anyhow—you get to do some maneuvering and shooting, and it's, like, thousands of times cooler than the simulator was."

"Did she tell you how well you did?" Cooper spoke up. "I heard a couple of guys had a lot of trouble—ended up falling flat on their faces."

"Well—." Duo pondered for a moment, not wanting to come across like he was bragging. "I went first, an' I guess I did okay. She said 'good job,' but that's all."

Rev snorted. "Yeah, Maxwell—'good job' from Noin is like having a freakin' tickertape parade. That woman _never _hands out compliments."

Duo shrugged. "Not like she had anyone to compare me to, until after the others went." He did feel a glow of satisfaction, recalling that in her closing remarks to the recruits the Lieutenant had added yet another comment that he'd shown great aptitude and she hoped to see him in her classes very soon.

Heero caught the pensive look on his lover's face, and slid a leg over to make contact under the table. "I'm proud of you," he said quietly.

Duo beamed at him, blushing and ducking his head. "Yeah—just wait'll _you_ blow her away. You beat me in simulators, 'Ro."

"Not by much. And the real suits are much more challenging."

Quatre overheard their quiet exchange, and smiled his approval of Heero's praise, knowing how much it meant to Duo. "I wonder who'll get called out of calisthenics today to try it," he spoke up, unable to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

"I'm sure we'll all get a turn in the near future," Heero shrugged, his attention diverted as he saw Reginald across the room, and the football star nodded a greeting. He pretended not to notice, and went back to eating breakfast.

Duo stood up before he was done, leaning in to whisper a quick good-bye. "See you at lunch, 'Ro. Miss ya!" He strode off before Heero could even reply, and the Japanese boy sighed.

"You okay?" Quatre asked.

"Fine," he muttered dispiritedly, wondering when life had become so complicated.

If he were tutoring anyone other than Reggie, he could have invited Duo to at least hang out with them, softening the disappointment. But knowing how nasty the popular jock had been to his lover, he didn't want them in close proximity any time soon. And he didn't know how to explain to Duo how he'd been shanghaied into spending a whole evening with his worst enemy.

"Hey, see you in class," Trowa spoke up, nudging Heero's elbow as he stood up. They had English together for the second class of the day, but knowing he'd probably get an earful from Trowa about not confessing to Duo, Heero was less than enthusiastic.

"Yeah, later."

Quatre watched the exchange with a too-knowing look, and after Trowa left, gathered his own things. "Ready to go, Heero?"

"Sure."

They headed off to math together in a somewhat strained silence. But naturally, halfway there, Quatre felt compelled to speak.

"You're not worried about dinner tomorrow night, are you?" he blurted suddenly, misinterpreting Heero's distracted state of mind. "You know Duo agreed to it, and he's okay with me playing 'host.'"

"Yes, I know. And no, that's not bothering me. I've just—got a lot on my mind today—class assignments."

"Ah." Quatre nodded, looking a bit relieved. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Heero shook his head. "Astrophysics," he said simply.

Quatre smiled apologetically. "Well, I'm sure I'd be no help at all with that." His aquamarine eyes went pensive. "You'll still be able to take tomorrow off, right?"

"Definitely."

They went the rest of the way to class in a more relaxed silence, though Heero felt no less stressed about canceling his date with Duo.

Maybe if he pointed out that it would ensure their Saturday excursion, Duo would understand. At least, he hoped so.

Math went by in a blur, as the teacher rattled off fuel and weight ratio calculations, filling the board with a complex series of numbers and symbols and explaining acceleration and mass.

And then Heero was walking briskly across the campus to his next class, where Trowa was waiting with an accusing look on his face.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" he asked before Heero even got through the door.

"Hello to you too, Barton."

The green eyes narrowed. "The longer you put this off, the more upset he'll be."

"What's it to you?" Heero challenged, glaring at the tall acrobat. "He isn't _your _boyfriend."

"For starters, he's my _friend_, and I don't like seeing him upset," Trowa retorted. "But besides that—," he added, stopping Heero in mid-snort. "You're my friend, too, and I can see how much it's eating at you. You need to just tell him at lunch and get the suspense over with. You'll be relieved; he'll blow up and get it out of his system. Then by dinner, you can promise to make it up to him tomorrow, and he'll probably be ready to listen."

Heero's anger dissipated in the face of Trowa's logic, and he hung his head slightly. "You're right. And I meant to tell him this morning—but he was so damned _happy_. I didn't want to spoil his whole day."

"Well, by lunchtime, he'll have had half a day to enjoy. You'll only be ruining the other half."

Heero managed a wan smile. "That's cold, Barton."

Trowa nodded. "He's got to learn to deal with disappointment, Yuy. We had a great run in boot camp—but we can't always be on top of the world."

"Yeah, I know," Heero sighed. "Don't worry. I'll tell him after lunch, on the way to our next classes. That way we won't be in a crowded mess hall when he decks me."

"He won't," Trowa predicted. "He loves you too much to harm a hair on your head."

"Are we talking about the guy who gave me a black eye when we had that fistfight back in boot camp?"

Trowa winced at the reminder of his and Duo's feigned affair and the resulting brawl. "In his defense, you threw the first punch."

"After I saw him kissing you." Heero's eyes got a steely glint. "Which reminds me—you and I never discussed the issue of you publicly making out with my boyfriend—."

"I thought when you kissed Quat and me at the infirmary it squared things—!"

"More or less."

Trowa raised his hands helplessly. "Look—you know damned well I have no designs on him—."

Unable to keep up his fake scowl, Heero let out a chuckle. "Aw, Barton—lighten up," he urged, feeling much better now that he'd resolved when and how he was going to talk to Duo. "That's all water under the bridge."

"Oh, bad choice of words," Trowa grimaced, recalling the rope bridge he'd been forced to sabotage.

Heero shook his head. "Don't dwell on it," he suggested. "We all had a lot of growing up to do."

"Yeah, and a lot to learn, too," Trowa pointed out, reflecting that what he'd learned about friendship and loyalty was something he intended to carry with him through the rest of his life.

Heero nodded agreement. "That learning part, though—it never ends, does it?" He gestured towards the classroom they were entering.

"I hope not," Trowa replied, reluctant to come right out and admit that he was probably enjoying the learning environment as much as Duo. With a similar background to Duo's, he'd spent less time in school than either Heero or Quatre, and he was finding the subjects at the Academy both interesting and challenging.

And amazingly, he liked it that way.

They made it through class, splitting up to go their separate ways afterwards, with Heero promising yet again to come clean to Duo right after lunch.

Perhaps for that reason, he couldn't muster up much of an appetite while sitting next to the smiling, joking braided boy, and ended up leaving most of his sandwich uneaten.

"You okay, 'Ro?" Duo asked as they gathered their things.

"Yeah, fine," he sighed, glancing up to catch a significant look and a nod from Trowa. "I've gotta talk to you on the way to classes, though."

Duo's smile faded into an apprehensive frown. "'Kay," he said, with a brief, half-hearted smile that disappeared all too quickly.

They made their way out of the mess hall, walking side by side, and Heero groped for the right way to start the conversation.

But his hesitation only made Duo more uneasy, and finally the braided boy stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. "Okay, 'Ro. Spit it out already!"

He looked up guiltily. "I—." He faltered, looking into the indigo eyes.

"You—what?" Duo asked, his frown deepening. "Is this about—us?"

"Us?"

"Yeah, you an' me. You aren't—having second thoughts—?"

"Oh, shit no!" Heero said quickly, starting to reach for Duo's hand, only to realize they were in the middle of a public sidewalk. "No!" he whispered vehemently, stepping just a bit closer and lowering his voice. "Jesus, Duo. Why would you think that? I love you so much I can barely stand it."

Duo smiled, relief flooding his face. "Good," he said with a grin. "That's good. 'Cause if you changed your mind, it'd just—tear me to bits. Y'know?"

"Same here," Heero assured him.

When his watched beeped a warning that he only had a couple of minutes to get to class, Heero muttered a curse. "Look, I'm just gonna say this, love. I can't spend tonight with you the way we planned. I have to tutor someone in astrophysics."

Duo's face made an interesting transition from relief, to pleasure at hearing the word "love," and then to surprise and chagrin. "What?" he blurted in disbelief.

"The instructor asked me to help out a new kid in class, and tonight's the only night that worked in both our schedules."

"No it didn't," Duo insisted. "It didn't work in _your _schedule," he pointed out.

"No—but tomorrow we've got all-day plans, and Sunday the other kid is booked up, and so tonight's the only reasonable option."

"Reasonable?" Duo asked, his eyes glinting dangerously. "You think it's reasonable to put me dead last?" he growled.

"I didn't put you _last_," Heero insisted. "But considering the plans we made with Trowa and Quatre, I couldn't very well schedule it for tomorrow."

"So make the other kid change his Sunday plans. If he needs tutoring that badly—."

"Look, Duo—it's—complicated," Heero sighed. "And I don't want to stand here and argue about it until we're late to our classes. So, I'm sorry about tonight, and I promise I'll make it up to you as soon as I can, and you'll just have to deal with it. Okay?"

The indigo eyes narrowed. "Deal with _this_, Yuy," he growled, flipping his boyfriend the finger and then turning and stalking away.

Heero sighed. "Well, that went well." He watched as Duo stomped off, the stiff back and rigid shoulders conveying a world of anger.

And when his gaze was caught by the way the long chestnut braid swung across that lean back, he idly wondered how long it'd be before he got his hair-combing privileges back _this _time.

He was hoping that by the time they met up later for applied engineering Duo might have cooled off—but when the braided boy took a seat at the farthest end of the room and kept his eyes stubbornly averted, he knew it hadn't happened yet.

And when they left class and headed for calisthenics, Duo was yards ahead of him, chatting away with some kids he knew from his dorm and totally ignoring Heero.

"Immature asshole," sighed the Japanese boy.

Trowa was waiting at calisthenics, and walked over as soon as he saw Heero. "Well, obviously, you got it over with," he grinned. "Don't worry—I told Quatre, and he promised to settle Duo down."

Heero grimaced. "Did you _have _to?"

"Hey—it's what friends are for," Trowa teased. "You know only Quatre can get through that thick skull and make Duo see reason. He'll have him eating out of your hand by supper time."

When Noin came and called out another list of students for suit testing, Heero breathed a gusty sigh at the sound of his own name. At least he wouldn't have to endure the cold shoulder from Duo any longer than necessary. And if Quatre was able to make him see reason, well, more power to him!

* * *

It was nearly past the supper hour when Heero finally reached the mess hall, looking a big haggard as he went through the line and brought his food to the table, looking warily at the empty seat next to Duo.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked carefully, trying to assess the expression on Duo's face as his lover looked up.

"Free country," Duo shrugged, turning back to his meal.

Heero grimaced, but took the empty seat. At least Duo hadn't told him to fuck off—and that was a vast improvement over their earlier encounter.

"So how was piloting a mobile suit?" Quatre asked brightly from across the table, fixing a curious look on Heero.

"Okay," he said with a shrug.

"Just 'okay'?" Trowa spoke up.

"I—made a few mistakes," Heero admitted, not wanting to come right out and admit that he'd been so distracted by worrying about patching things up with Duo that he'd fumbled the start-up sequence, missed a coordinate, and nearly tripped on an obstacle he should have easily stepped over.

Duo actually looked squarely at him. "You made mistakes?" he asked incredulously.

Heero scowled. "I am capable of mistakes, Maxwell. You pointed that out quite forcefully earlier today."

Duo scowled back. "Yeah, an' whose fault was—ouch! Quat—!" Duo turned towards the blonde with a glare, and Heero realized Quatre had kicked him under the table. "Sheesh—all right already." He gave his lover a sullen glance. "Quat says I was an ass this afternoon and should lighten up about you breaking our date," he grumbled.

"Duo—that's not an apology!" Quatre said accusingly.

"I'm not sure I'm ready—."

"It's okay," Heero said quickly, taking what little he could get from his stubborn boyfriend. "You're right to be pissed about the change in plans. Just—maybe give me half a chance to make amends, hm?"

Duo shrugged one shoulder, looking away.

"I spent all afternoon trying to figure out how to make this up to you—," Heero added hopefully.

He got a narrow-eyed, suspicious look. "Was that why you—made mistakes?"

Heero sighed and nodded. "Probably. At least, it didn't help the situation. Noin said the suit needed some fine-tuning anyhow—and the parts of the exercise I did right were really well-executed."

Duo, however, was looking sort of—awed. "You fucked up because you were thinking of me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Heero grumbled, poking at his meal with his fork. "I had an off day."

"Because I was mad at you," Duo added, sounding downright contrite. "I'm sorry, 'Ro. I didn't mean to mess with your head or anything. I was just—hurt. And pissed. It was a gut reaction."

"I know. And it really wasn't fair of me to spring it on you like that—but I didn't want to wait until now, when you'd be expecting us to leave here together." He glanced over at Trowa, giving a small smile. "A friend advised me to get it over with before I made it worse by waiting too long."

Duo followed his gaze and then looked back at Heero. "When did you find out?"

"Uh—at the end of class yesterday morning," Heero admitted. "And I'd have told you sooner, but you were so happy last night, and this morning, and I just couldn't stand to wipe the smile off your face." He leaned a bit closer. "It's such a beautiful, kissable smile."

A blush crept up the braided boy's cheeks and he ducked his head almost shyly. "You're a freakin' sap, Yuy," he mumbled, stealing a glance out of the corner of his eyes. "But don't stop being that way."

"Never," came the solemn reply.

Duo's knee slid surreptitiously over to rest against Heero's under the table, and the Japanese boy finally found his appetite, eating his first decent meal all day now that he knew his lover would forgive the fact that he'd disappointed him.

Quatre smiled warmly at the way the two edged a bit closer together, satisfied that they'd overcome the little stumbling block, and he felt a warm gaze on him, turning to see Trowa smiling proudly. "You did good, love," whispered the auburn-haired boy in an undertone.

The meal passed quickly, now that the atmosphere was more relaxed, and before they knew it, the boys were getting ready to leave.

Heero had decided the best way to handle the tutoring assignment might be to part company with Duo right there in the mess hall, rather than at either dorm. That way there was no chance of bumping into Reginald and having Duo find out it was the jock he hated so much who'd messed up his evening plans.

But then he realized Darlian was over with his athlete friends, still finishing his meal, and he'd probably have time to walk Duo back to Mercury and then get to his own dorm before the jock arrived.

"How 'bout I walk you back to your dorm, before I go off to do my tutoring?" he said quietly, receiving a nod and a sort of resigned smile for his efforts.

"Sounds good," Duo said half-heartedly. "If that's all I get, well, it'll have to do—for now." His eyes narrowed. "But don't think you can pull this again and get away with it, because you won't."

"I wouldn't dream of trying," Heero said earnestly, making himself a promise to speak up next time and insist on keeping his plans with Duo no matter what.

They bade Quatre and Trowa goodbye, and set out across the campus, walking in comfortable silence, until they reached the quad between the dorms and an all-too-familiar voice hailed Heero from behind them.

Heero gave an internal groan as Reggie Darlian jogged up and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready to go, Yuy?"

Duo's jaw dropped and a dangerous gleam entered the indigo eyes. "The _fuck_?" he growled, glaring at Heero.

"I—I told you, Duo," Heero stammered uneasily, wondering why he felt so guilty when he'd done nothing wrong. "I have to work on astrophysics."

"With _him_?"

Heero nodded morosely.

Duo's next glare was directed at Reggie. "I thought you missed getting in by two points!"

"Passed on a re-test," came the smug response.

Heero tried to pull Duo aside for privacy, while Reggie kept a curious gaze on them and a slightly mocking smile on his face.

"Look, Duo—I explained this before! It's not something I can get out of," he said in an undertone.

"Yeah, but you didn't mention _who _you were standing me up for!" Duo said without lowering his voice at all.

"Because I knew you'd just get pissed about it."

"Damn straight! We made plans _days _ago, Heero. Why couldn't you tell the instructor you had a prior obligation and ask him to have someone else do it?"

_Why indeed? _Heero mused. "Lieutenant Preston chose me," he growled back. "It was a compliment, Duo; he thought I understood the material well enough to help another student. Can't you just be proud of me and let it go at that?"

"If it was anyone but _him_—," retorted Duo, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Reggie.

"Oh really?" Heero countered, his frown deepening. "I don't think so, Duo. I think you'd be just as mad at anyone who disrupted our plans for tonight."

Duo edged closer and finally _did _lower his voice. "Dammit, 'Ro—you promised we'd finally have some time together!"

"We will—just—not tonight."

"Yeah, I've heard _that _before."

Heero started to reach for Duo's hand, but the braided boy pulled back sharply, turning away. "Fine—you go tutor your new pal, Yuy. I'll find other things to do. At least Tro' and Quat might have time for me!"

"Duo—."

He stalked quickly away, deliberately slamming a shoulder into Reggie on his way past. It barely budged the solidly-built football star, but it made Duo feel a little better as he stormed off.

"What the hell—?" Reggie asked Heero.

"C'mon Darlian—let's get to my dorm so we can cover all the material we need to." Heero stalked angrily away, and Reggie jogged to catch up, falling into step alongside him.

"So—what's up with you and Maxwell?" he asked as they walked. "He your 'boyfriend' or something?"

The question seemed half in jest, but Heero wasn't foolish enough to believe a smart guy like Reginald Darlian was that naïve. "Yes, he is."

The football player hesitated only a split-second, darting a sideways glance at Heero. "I dunno what you see in him."

Heero stopped in his tracks, waiting for Reggie to do the same and turn to face him. "Are you gay, Darlian?"

"No."

"Then obviously you _wouldn't _know what I see in him." Heero's eyes narrowed just slightly in a dangerous glare. "Make no mistake, though—I'll take any animosity directed at him very personally."

Reggie scowled in return. "I don't like him, Yuy. I'm not gonna bullshit you about that. He's obviously not Academy material…just look at the hair, for chrissakes. You, on the other hand, were made for this place. And that's very apparent." He gave a slight shrug. "I can be more or less civil to him—but that's the best I can do—and only because I respect _you_."

Heero nodded, a bit surprised and impressed by the popular jock's candor, as they resumed their walk towards the dorms. "That's fair enough. Just understand that what hurts him, hurts me. If you make an enemy of him, don't expect me to be your friend."

"What if he makes an enemy of me?"

"From what he's told me, _you're _the one looking for a confrontation," Heero said curtly. "And while we're on the subject, do you recall Major Merquise's speech at the start of this term?"

"Which part?"

"The part where he said that anyone prying into the background of other students in order to oppose the Peacecraft Initiative could face expulsion."

"So you _know _Maxwell is a juvenile delinquent."

"Was."

"And you still date him? Why?"

Heero raised an eyebrow, giving Reggie a sidelong look. "For one thing, he's gorgeous." A faint smirk found its way to his lips despite his underlying anger at the jock for harassing his lover. "But he's much more than a pretty face, Darlian. And if you opened your eyes a bit, you'd see that. He's smart, funny, talented and athletic. And he's going to be the best mobile suit pilot to ever come out of this place—next to me, of course."

Reggie gave a short burst of genuine laughter. "See? That's what I like about you, Yuy. You've got the kind of confidence my teammates have. I wish you'd reconsider going out for the football team."

"You don't have a problem with the fact that I'm gay?"

Reginald waved a hand dismissively. "Naw—so's Marco. But he keeps it to himself so it's not that big a deal. And he's a hell of a player."

"I'm not here to play games. I'm here to become a pilot and a soldier." Heero frowned at the popular athlete. "You should be here for the same reason, and not be wasting time harassing another student, when you could be improving your skills."

"Harassing—?"

"Your conversation with Duo in the quad qualifies as harassment. And if I told Merquise about it, he'd probably throw you and your anti-Peacecraft group right out of this academy on your ears!"

The threat of expulsion finally drew a reaction from the usually-composed boy. "Hey—you've got me all wrong. I don't belong to any 'anti-Peacecraft' group. I don't even know if one exists. I just think Maxwell doesn't belong here. And when I found out he was from L2 _and_ one of the Peacecraft kids, I knew my first impression of him was right. He's trouble."

"He's my lover!" Heero snapped back, eyes flashing. "And if you'd like to know where I met him, it was at boot camp, Darlian. I was there _with _him—a fellow inmate. Do you still think I'm Academy material?"

Reggie stood with his mouth hanging open for a moment, and then regained his voice, if not his composure. "Y-you were in Peacecraft?"

"Yes, I was. And for a more serious crime than Duo."

Reginald absorbed the new information, frowning slightly.

"Would you rather not study astrophysics with me?" Heero asked coolly.

"No!" came the quick reply. "No, Yuy. You're the best in the class, according to Lieutenant Preston. I want help from the best—another winner—like me." He shook his head rather helplessly. "That's why I can't picture you with Maxwell. You're everything he's not. You're from L1, with a good, solid background, money and class. I just can't imagine why you'd limit yourself to hanging out with a bunch of losers."

"I haven't," Heero said evenly. "My team won every award there was to win at boot camp. We were, and still are, the best, regardless of where any of us came from. Perhaps you're the one who needs to expand your horizons and see beyond your circle of friends."

"Aw, they're hand-picked," Reggie insisted. "The cream of the crop around here. Every man on my team is a top student as well as a top athlete. You'll see."

"So will you," Heero predicted.

Reggie eyed him skeptically. "And if I don't? What happens when your pretty little L2 delinquent can't cut it here, Yuy? Are you gonna follow him back to the streets where he came from?"

"He won't fail," Heero said firmly. "He worked hard to get here. He worked even harder to overcome his insecurities about the life he lived before." His dark blue eyes narrowed in a familiar death glare. "I won't stand by and let you prey on those insecurities, or try to make him feel less worthy."

"Even if he _is _less worthy?"

Heero cursed under his breath. "Darlian—you're an ass. You're an elitist snob, and about the most near-sighted idiot I've ever met!" He scowled deeply. "No—scratch that. You're cut from the same cloth as your cousin Relena, the only other person I know with prejudices as deeply ingrained as yours."

"Look, just 'cause 'Lena and I had a decent upbringing—."

"A decent upbringing would have taught you not to judge others before you get to know them," Heero interrupted. "It would have exposed you to the fact that a person's worth isn't dependent on their home colony or how much money they grew up with." He shook his head. "You know what, Darlian? This is a waste of time. I'll help you out with astrophysics tonight. But the next time the instructor asks, I'm going to tell him to find you another tutor. Your attitude makes me sick."

Reggie opened his mouth, face darkening with anger, and then bit back whatever heated reply he was going to make. "Fine, Yuy," he snapped out curtly. "We'll stick to astrophysics. Just don't blame me when your boyfriend flunks out and you have to admit I was right."

Heero didn't even dignify that with a response, but walked more quickly towards his dorm, eager to get their studying done so he could leave the unpleasant company of the arrogant boy.

* * *

Duo was fuming by the time he reached Trowa's room, and he gave a brusque, peremptory bang on the door. "Quat? Tro'? You decent?"

"Yeah, c'mon in!" called the blonde.

Duo walked in and threw himself across Trowa's bed, rolling onto his back and scowling up at his two friends, who were in the process of putting away some freshly-folded laundry.

"What's the matter?" asked Quatre, immediately picking up on Duo's mood.

"Heero blew me off tonight."

Trowa chuckled explosively, earning a glare from the braided boy.

"You _know _I didn't mean it that way!"

"What way?" asked the green-eyed boy innocently.

"Fuck you," muttered Duo, trying not to smile when he knew his and Trowa's minds had fallen into the same gutter right after he blurted out the sentence.

"That's _my _job," Quatre said quickly, blushing even as he made the lewd comment.

Duo couldn't help laughing. "Gods, Tro'. What've you done? You corrupted the most angelic kid ever!"

"Actually, I think you did, Duo," Quatre smirked. "Isn't that what you said the other day?"

Trowa slipped an arm around Quatre's waist, looking down at him appraisingly. "Y'know, Duo, I'm starting to think he's been way ahead of both of us all along."

"Ohhhhh," grinned the braided boy. "So that innocence is all an act?"

"It is not!" protested Quatre. "And I didn't get 'corrupted.' I just learned to fight fire with fire. If you two are making comments fraught with innuendo, you deserve to get it right back at you."

"Ah, teaching us a lesson," Duo teased, sharing a conspiratorial smirk with Trowa, and reaching up to poke Quatre in the ribs.

"So," Trowa commented, bringing them back on track. "What's this about Heero doing really dirty things to you?"

"I wish," Duo grunted, pushing himself up into a sitting position and resting his chin on his hands. "He's tutoring that asshole Reginald in astrophysics tonight—instead of spending it with me!"

Quatre and Trowa exchanged a look and plunked down on either side of their friend. "Reginald?" Quatre asked. He shared a glance with Trowa, who shrugged, never having asked exactly who Heero was supposed to help with astrophysics.

"Apparently Darlian got to take the entrance exam over and they let him into the class a couple of days late. So the instructor asked Heero to help him catch up, and the idiot agreed to give up our Friday night to do it."

"Oh." Quatre sighed, slipping an arm around Duo's waist. "I'm sure he'll make time for the two of you this weekend."

"Goddamnit, Quat, I just wanted a few hours!" Duo protested. "We've never had any real time to spend together just _being _together—talking or whatever. And I never got that 'all night' he promised me, either."

"Agh! Too much information!" Trowa chided. But his soft, concerned look belied the words. Towards the end of boot camp when he and Duo had spent more time together, they'd developed a friendship almost as caring as the one Quatre and Duo shared. And Trowa was every bit as sympathetic to the braided boy as the blonde was, even if he showed it by teasing rather than oozing reassurance.

"Don't worry, Duo," Quatre urged. "You _will_ get your time together."

"Yeah—in the Old Soldiers' Home some day," joked Duo. "If we survive long enough."

Trowa laughed and punched Duo lightly on the side of his shoulder. "You're okay, Maxwell. I can tell you aren't seriously pissed at Heero, or you wouldn't be making jokes about missing your date."

"I'm seriously pissed," Duo asserted. "But not at missing our date. I'm pissed because when he told me we couldn't get together tonight, he didn't tell me _who _he'd be with. He knew I wouldn't like it, so he made it a point to keep that from me." He glared at his hands, which were clenched in his lap. "You both know how I feel about being lied to."

"Knowing Heero, he didn't lie," Quatre said soothingly. "But he knew you'd be unhappy about the change in plans, so he omitted something he knew would only upset you more."

"How convenient," growled Duo. "He's the same arrogant know-it-all he's always been. And I thought we got past that!" He stood up and paced restlessly across the room, turning to face the others, who'd edged over next to each other the moment he made space for them to do so. "I hate when Heero makes decisions for me!" Duo blurted. "He has no right to guess what I would or wouldn't like and then filter what he tells me. He should trust that I'm a big boy and can deal with disappointment."

"Yeah, you're doing such a bang-up job of dealing with it," Trowa pointed out. Duo's eyes narrowed, and the auburn-haired boy realized he'd gone a little too far. "Hey—I'm sorry if the truth hurts, Maxwell. But obviously you wouldn't have taken it well if Heero'd been honest. He couldn't win either way."

"So he chose the easy out and hoped I wouldn't catch him," came the wounded reply. Duo ran a hand down his face. "Why Darlian? Of all the people for him to be paired with—."

"If it's any consolation," Quatre piped up, "I'm pretty sure Reginald Darlian is straight."

Duo shot him a scathing look. "That comforts me no end," he said dryly. "He's still a flaming asshole!"

"Well, you'll get no argument from us," Quatre assured him, ignoring the sarcasm.

"So—what _do _you want from us?" Trowa asked, his fingers lightly stroking Quatre's arm in an almost unconscious gesture.

"Company?" Duo asked, shrugging helplessly.

Trowa grimaced slightly. "The thing is, Maxwell, Quat and I sort of have our own plans, y'know."

"But we can include Duo," Quatre insisted, turning a pleading look to his boyfriend.

Both Duo and Trowa looked at him in horror, and he realized they'd jumped to the same conclusion.

"No! God! That's not what I meant!" he blurted hastily. "Jeeze! You two need to get your minds out of the gutter! I only wanted to invite Duo to come to the kennel with us!"

Trowa's sigh of relief was audible, and some of the color immediately returned to Duo's face. "Jesus, Quat—you've gotta watch what comes out of that adorable little mouth of yours," he chided. "You had me goin' for a minute there!"

"I can't believe you'd think I'd suggest a threesome!" Quatre replied huffily.

Regaining both his composure and his sense of humor, Duo smirked wickedly. "With two hotties like you? I'd be tempted."

Trowa snorted. "Right. Maxwell, you almost passed out from fright when he said that."

"Oh, and you were so much better," Duo shot back. "Your jaw nearly hit the floor."

"It would've been right there with yours."

"Would you two stop?" pleaded Quatre. "And Trowa, would it be all right if Duo came with us to see the dogs?"

Trowa grimaced. "The thing is, I asked if I could bring _a _friend with me—not two. I don't know if it'd be okay."

"But we can't leave Duo all by himself," Quatre protested.

"Sure we can," Trowa countered, glancing at the braided boy. "He's a big kid, Quat. Like he said. And he can certainly find other things to do."

Quatre frowned, looking between the two, and Duo gave a casual shrug and the wave of a hand. "Yeah, Q. Don't worry 'bout me," he said airily. "I'll find something to occupy my time."

While Quatre suspected Duo was just putting on a bold front for them, he also didn't want to make Trowa feel trapped. Nor did he want his boyfriend to think he didn't respect their "alone" time, and the plans they'd made for just the two of them. "You sure you'll be okay, Duo? I mean, Trowa and I could probably go see the dogs some other time."

Trowa looked alarmed at that, turning a disbelieving look to his lover. "I don't know," he hedged. "Fox gave me an invitation for tonight."

"Fox?" Duo asked, smirking. "His name's Fox?"

"Yeah…Fox Endicott."

"_Is _he one?"

Trowa managed a slight smile. "I dunno, Maxwell. I was too busy looking at the dog."

"Kinky," Duo teased. He walked over to ruffle Quatre's hair. "Don't worry about me, buddy. I'll find something to do. You have a good time with your sex kitten, hm?"

"I'm not—!" Trowa protested.

Duo headed for the door, but he heard Quatre give a husky laugh. "No, you're more like one of the 'big cats,' Trowa…"

The braided boy just shook his head as he let himself out, and headed down the hallway with a pensive scowl on his face.

Yes, he knew Heero hadn't meant to outright lie to him. But it didn't take the sting out of having Darlian ace him out of his Friday night plans. Nor did it assuage the feelings of resentment and self-pity that were currently weighing him down.

Duo also knew Quatre would have forced the issue with Trowa and insisted on letting him join them on their trip to the kennel—but he still felt left out of their schedule, too. They'd made plans for just the two of them, and he knew darned well he'd have been a third wheel.

He just felt a little—lost.

"Hey, Duo—what's up?"

He looked up to find Rev and Cooper coming across the quad along with a couple of boys he didn't know. They were all wearing street clothes, rather than their Academy uniforms.

"Aw, nothing," he sighed. "Just—everyone I know has plans tonight. So I guess I'll go back to my dorm and study or something." He almost grimaced as he said that. He sounded so unlike the Duo Maxwell of old. He sounded almost—responsible.

"No way!" Rev protested. "It's Friday, man! The first one of the semester. You need a break." He grinned invitingly. "Lex has a car and a few of us are gonna take a ride to The Hangar. Why don't you come along?"

"What's The Hangar?"

"It's a bar out on Highway 57. They've got live music on Fridays, and a bunch of the locals hang out there. Plus, anyone with a military i.d. is always welcome."

Duo hesitated for only a moment. "Sure. I'm in," he decided. "Give me a minute to change?"

"Yeah; we'll wait for you in the parking lot out by the main gate."

Duo jogged off to his room, eager for a diversion from what had started out as a dismal Friday night. He had a hunch that Heero wouldn't approve of his choice of activity—but was in no mood to consider his boyfriend's feelings.

If Heero didn't care enough to keep their date, Duo sure didn't intend to sit around pining. Damned if he'd let his lover dictate his life!


	13. Diversions

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: See? I totally haven't abandoned this! But between finishing "Witness" and "Diary," I got way behind. Then life kicked me in the head some more. And now, I'm finally finding the "voice" of this story again. Sorry it's been so obscenely long. I will try to do better, starting with an extra-long chapter to make up for the delay. And there's even a bit of 3X4 action thrown in. Please, forgive my tardiness.

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Twelve: Diversions

After Duo left Trowa's room, Quatre gave his lover a scolding look. "I'm sure your friend Fox would've been okay with Duo coming along," he chided.

"Probably," Trowa admitted. "But I'm not sure, and I don't want to blow my chance to see the kennels just because I presumed too much. Plus," he added, taking Quatre's hand. "This is supposed to be _our_ time. We'll have all day tomorrow with Duo and Heero. Tonight, it's just you an' me."

Quatre just about melted under the tender look he got from those deep green eyes. "Now I know why I'm so crazy about you," he said with a smile. "You know all the right things to say."

Trowa snorted wryly. "I've never been accused of being chatty, Quat." He pulled his boyfriend closer. "But you seem to bring out a lot of things in me I didn't know were there. _Good_ things."

"See?" Quatre squeaked, throwing his arms around Trowa's waist and hugging tightly. "You just did it again!"

Trowa hugged back, reflecting that whatever he was doing right, he hoped he never lost the ability. "C'mon," he urged, rubbing a cheek against the silky blonde hair tucked against his shoulder. "Let's go do our visiting, so we can come back here and make some more dirty laundry, hm?"

Yes, he'd happily change the sheets on his bed as many times as it took to satisfy his lover.

Quatre pulled away, a faint blush on his cheeks. "Oh—that sounds—very nice."

As they made their way out of the dorm, he noticed a lot of activity in the quad—various groups of boys headed off for whatever recreation they'd chosen. But he saw no sign of either Duo or Heero.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" he asked Trowa, frowning slightly.

"Who? Duo? Of course." He shook his head in exasperation. "Think about it, Quatre. Duo grew up on his own. He managed all those years to stay alive, learn his way around the system, find food and friends—. Believe me, he can amuse himself for one evening. He's probably rounding up Jase or Austin and the guys for a card game or some video games or something. He'll be fine."

"I still feel like we let him down."

"Yuy let him down. And Duo needs to get used to it. Life's not perfect, y'know. We're at a military school, and much as I hate to say it, eventually we could all get sent in separate directions."

Quatre gave a little gasp of dismay at that. "But—couldn't we be in a unit together, if it came to that?"

"Maybe." Trowa shrugged, trying not to let the subject matter get too oppressive. "I'm just saying, Duo's got to drop the 'fun and games' attitude and realize there'll be ups and downs and disappointments."

"But he isn't playing games," Quatre insisted. "He's been studying like crazy."

"I know. And I also know that most of the time his banter is just a cover for the fact that there's a serious side to him. Plus, he uses it when he's nervous, or unsure of himself; it's kind of a defense mechanism."

"We've all got them."

"What's yours?" Trowa wondered, eyeing his lover questioningly.

Quatre turned wide, liquid eyes on Trowa, a smirk playing at the edges of his lips as the auburn-haired boy's expression automatically softened.

"Oh…good defense," Trowa admitted, smiling reluctantly.

"Nice to know I haven't lost my touch," Quatre said smugly.

They'd crossed most of the campus while they talked, and were approaching building K-9, already able to hear the sound of a dog barking and a laughing human voice talking to it.

"Triton, no! No jumping! You'll get your treat _after_!"

As they stopped at the chain link gate, they could see a sandy-haired boy holding something over his head while a black and white dog pranced around him and made sporadic leaps, trying to snatch it from his hand.

Trowa couldn't help grinning. "You'll never get him to stop if you laugh at his performance," he chided. "He knows you think it's funny."

Fox stopped what he was doing, and turned towards them, at which point Triton dove in and grabbed the treat from his hand, running off into a corner of the yard to gulp it down while the boy walked over to open the gate and usher Trowa and Quatre inside.

"Hey there—glad you could make it," he said with a smile, his glance sliding from Trowa to Quatre. "I'm Fox," he offered, holding out a hand.

Quatre took it in a firm grip. "Quatre," he replied with a polite smile.

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Winner?" he asked with a knowing look. "Wow, Barton—you keep some pretty impressive company—Yuy—Winner." He shook his head. "Wait'll I tell my old man who I met today."

"I'm just a student here—like anyone else," Quatre insisted. "My last name won't make me a better mobile suit pilot."

The boy grinned at him, hazel eyes sparkling. "Sure about that? It could open doors, y'know."

"Any doors I open will be on my own merit, I hope," Quatre said firmly. "If I'm not good enough to pilot a suit, I'd never use my family's influence to do it anyway." He gave a wan smile. "Besides, my father's a pacifist. He didn't exactly approve of my decision to come here."

Fox looked sympathetically at him. "That's a shame. Growin' up an army brat, I kinda knew from the start I wanted to come here. Had my dad's support all the way, too." His hand dropped to the head of the dog who'd trotted over to his side and started sniffing at the newcomers.

"This must be Triton," Quatre guessed, holding out a hand and letting the dog nuzzle it.

"Yeah, and there's Proteus and Larissa inside. How 'bout we take all three out for a run?"

"You've got permission for that?" Trowa asked eagerly, his face lighting up.

"Hey, when I told the sergeant in charge of the dogs how neatly you nabbed Triton the other day, he decided you must know your way around a kennel." Fox glanced at Quatre. "Are you used to handling dogs?"

Quatre shook his head. "It's all new for me. I mean, aside from helping out with Nanashi a couple of times, I'm really a novice with animals."

"That's fine. You can take Larissa. She's the best-trained of the three. She won't haul on the leash, and she comes when she's called."

"Okay," the blonde replied. "I'll give it a shot."

Trowa sighed to himself, glad Quatre was so eager to participate in this facet of his life. As much as he loved animals, if he'd had to choose between them and Quatre, he knew who'd win. He was grateful that his lover wasn't asking him to make that kind of choice.

On the contrary, Quatre wanted to be included. It made Trowa just want to grin like an idiot; but he kept it to a restrained smile as they made their way inside.

Two more dogs were in kennels in the building, jumping up and barking a greeting at the newcomers. One had more white trim than Triton, and was a bit smaller and finer-boned, and the other was almost all black, with white markings only on the feet and muzzle.

"Down Proteus," Fox said to the darker dog, who immediately stopped his jumping and dropped to his stomach on the floor of his kennel. "Larissa—." The slimmer dog also stopped its prancing and settled onto its belly. "Good dogs."

"Leashes hang on these hooks," Fox explained, showing them a tidy arrangement of collars, leashes and harnesses, each with the dog's name neatly stitched into the canvas or leather. "For regular walks, we use these." He picked up a standard choke collar. "Harnesses are for working, and the flat collars are worn for identification purposes." He went to each kennel, keying in a code on the locks so they could be opened. "For security, each dog's got a code assigned. Prevents theft, since the value of a fully-trained ordnance dog is in the tens of thousands."

"Wow," Quatre breathed, as the two new dogs joined Triton in prancing around and sniffing at the new arrivals. "Who knew?"

"Takes hundreds of hours of training time to get these dogs up to working standards," Fox elaborated, slipping a collar and leash on each one. "This one's Proteus," he said, putting the end of the leash in Trowa's hand. "And here's Larissa," he told Quatre, handing him control of the slimmer female dog. "Let's take 'em out in the yard and I can explain their commands before we go walking."

The time passed quickly for the three boys after that, as Fox taught both Trowa and Quatre the correct terms used for the working dogs. They had very specific training, from basic obedience to advanced searching, and it was important to keep their commands specific and clear.

Larissa made Quatre feel like a pro, as she quickly obeyed any verbal cue he gave, and within moments, he felt confident he'd be able to control her on their walk.

Trowa had no trouble at all with Proteus, who was also a seasoned veteran. In spite of being a powerful dog, with obvious alpha tendencies, he knew his role so well he respected human orders instantly.

Triton, on the other hand, was a younger, wilder sort, and still challenging Fox from time to time; he was easily distracted and wanted to play more than work, so he kept the boy busy correcting his behavior.

"Once we take 'em out and let 'em run, Triton will settle down," Fox told the other two, as his wayward charge broke from a long sit one more time. "It helps to tire them out between and before training sessions."

"Oh, I can't imagine Larissa is ever any trouble," Quatre said, thoroughly enchanted by the sweet female. He couldn't keep his hands off her silky ears, and she just soaked up the attention whole-heartedly.

"She likes you," Fox noted with approval. "Ready to head out?" He glanced over at Trowa, who was scratching Proteus under the chin while smiling to himself.

"Any time," said the green-eyed boy.

As they made their way out the gate, he looked over at Quatre, unable to keep the pride out of his eyes. "You're great with dogs," he told his lover.

Quatre beamed back at him. "You really think so?"

Trowa nodded, feeling like his world was pretty well complete at that moment. He had a boyfriend who not only liked animals, but was good with them, a chance at maybe working with ordnance dogs some day, and a place at the MSC Academy. Things had never looked better for the boy from the circus.

* * *

While Quatre and Trowa were enjoying their introduction to ordnance dogs, Duo was enjoying the freedom of riding along in Lex's car with Rev, Cooper and a couple of other boys he'd been quickly introduced to.

The evening was cool, but comfortable, and the sound of the radio and the chattering of the other boys was very relaxing. Only one thing would've made it perfect—if Heero were there as well.

Duo sighed, scowling as his lover intruded on his happy thoughts. While part of him was still miffed at Heero for standing him up, he was mostly just missing his gorgeous boyfriend.

"Hey, what's with the long face?" Rev asked, poking him with a bony elbow. "We're supposed to be having fun!"

Duo dredged up a wan smile. "I am. I just—I would've liked to have the others come along."

"Their loss," Rev shrugged. "Don't let it bother you, though. There'll be other Friday nights."

Duo nodded, hoping that was true. He'd really had his heart set on spending time with Heero, and wondered if something would interfere every damned time.

"Tell me about The Hangar," he urged, wanting to distract himself from his frustration.

"You'll love it," Rev assured him. "It's a great place. They've got flat-screen t.v. with all the best games on, live music in the back room, and a bunch of pool tables."

"Pool?" Duo asked, perking up.

"You play?"

The brunette smirked. "Now an' then." He didn't see any reason to inform his companions that he'd more or less cut his teeth playing pool in the bars on L2.

Rev and Cooper exchanged looks, and Cooper smiled charmingly at Duo. "Care for a friendly little game or two?"

Duo gave him a dubious look. "You play for money—or just bragging rights?"

"Either. Sometimes both," Cooper replied easily.

"Well—I might be a bit rusty—."

Rev smiled wickedly. "How 'bout a couple of warm-up games before we get serious about it, hm? You can work the kinks out."

"I guess so," Duo agreed, pasting on his most innocent look. "Maybe we could just wager who buys the next round or something—."

Cooper chuckled. "Oh, that can be arranged. And on Fridays, they've got a two-dollar special on beer."

A brief frown crossed Duo's forehead. "Aren't you guys under age, like me?"

"Yeah, but they don't care," Rev said with a grin.

"Merquise might," Duo pointed out, recalling that while MSC regulations allowed for going off base, they did not allow for under age drinking.

"Aw don't sweat it," Cooper insisted. "Last year a couple of the instructors used to show up on Fridays to monitor the place, but unless things got unruly, they didn't step in and discipline anyone."

"Chang ever show up?" Duo wondered, not eager to run into his guardian at a bar on his first weekend at the Academy. Whether he was drinking or not, it would look bad.

"Naw," Rev assured him. "Chang's a workaholic. Never leaves the damned base unless it's military business."

They were pulling into the parking lot of the bar even as they spoke, and Cooper hopped out almost before the car was in park. "C'mon, newbie—lemme teach you how to play pool."

Duo snorted to himself. _Newbie, indeed! _He pasted on a wide, vapid smile."Sure, Coop. You do that."

As they walked through the door of the bar, Duo was assailed by a thick cloud of cigarette smoke which clogged the air of the noisy establishment.

"Whoa. F'got what that's like," he commented, waving a hand in front of his face as he pushed his way through to the counter.

"You get used to it," Rev assured him. "No worse than the smell of burning rubber or jet fuel—and we'll have plenty of both once we get into suit repair."

The bartender eyed the group of boys, nodding curtly to Cooper and Rev and turning his glance to Duo.

"Hey, Charlie—this is our new friend Duo," Rev told the man, patting Duo's shoulder companionably. "How 'bout a couple of beers?"

Duo looked quickly at Rev. "Uh—soda's fine for me."

Rev gave him a scolding look. "C'mon, Maxwell. This is a celebration. Consider it your welcome to the Academy."

Duo smiled back, and shook his head. "Thanks anyway. But I'd rather have a soda." He turned his attention to the bartender, who wore a slightly bemused look. "Cola's fine."

"Comin' up," shrugged the man, turning away to get their drinks.

The braided boy looked back at his new friends a bit warily. Not that he'd ever been a slave to peer pressure—but he hoped his insistence on avoiding alcohol wouldn't ruin what was starting out as a nice friendship.

Cooper merely grinned and shook his head, elbowing Rev and whispering something in his ear before walking away.

Rev turned his attention back to Duo. "Coop's gonna get us a pool table, an' we'll bring the drinks over there." He accepted the two frosty beer bottles the bartender placed in front of him, and Duo scooped up his soda, and followed him towards the back of the bar where several pool tables were arranged in a row.

"Got one!" Cooper called over the music, gesturing them to join him.

While he was racking up the balls, Rev set his beer on the corner of the table and went to get a cue. "First game's on me, Maxwell," he offered graciously.

Duo selected a cue, eyeballing it for straightness and then heading back to the table. He gave Rev a totally disarming smile. "Who breaks?"

"Guests first," came the polite, smirking answer.

"Your funeral," shrugged the braided boy, taking a swig of his cola and setting it aside as he approached the table.

Cooper looked decidedly smug, exchanging an eager look with his buddy, before turning his attention back to Duo.

But his smile faded as Duo expertly bent over the table and sent balls flying with a strong, decisive break.

At least two of the stripes went into pockets, and Duo glanced up through his bangs, smiling charmingly. "I'll be stripes," he said with a smirk.

He proceeded to clear the table, while Rev and Cooper gawked—torn between appreciation and dismay. While they couldn't help but admire his skill, they were both disappointed that their "easy mark" had turned the tables on them.

"Ringer!" Rev accused, glaring at the chestnut head as Duo lined up a shot on the eight ball.

"That's why they called me the God of Death, at the local pool hall on L2," Duo told him. "Unbeatable at eight ball."

"Gimme a chance!" Cooper challenged. "You let me break next game, and I'll show you how it's done, Maxwell."

* * *

While Duo was busy handing Cooper's ass to him, Heero was wading stoically through reams of information with Reggie Darlian. He'd managed to put the lovers' spat behind him, or at least in the back of his mind, and was keenly focused on covering all the pertinent material with his "student."

They'd covered about half the necessary lessons when Reggie sat back and rubbed his eyes. "Man, this stuff is heavy," he sighed.

Heero gave him an unsympathetic glare, still well aware of what this tutoring session had cost him. "It'll only get harder," he warned. "If you aren't up to the challenge, you shouldn't be wasting the instructor's time—or mine."

"I'm not!" Reggie said hotly. "I can handle the work load, Yuy. Once I get caught up I'll be fine."

"Good—because next time I'll tell the instructor to have someone else babysit you."

"Look—if you'd told me you didn't want to help me because you had plans to fuck your boyfriend, I'd have found someone else or picked another night," Reggie retorted.

Heero's eyes flashed. "I had plans to spend _time _with Duo—not 'fuck' him. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about him. At all. Ever."

Reggie grimaced, as if he had something unpleasant he might like to add.

"Or we could talk about your cousin, Relena," Heero added, his voice tinged with venom. "And how she badgered me during boot camp and practically stalked me through grade school—."

Reggie held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, Yuy—I get the picture."

"Is she the one who told you Duo's from L2 and Camp Peacecraft?"

The football jock shrugged, looking abashed. "She did rant for awhile about some 'long-haired fag' who stole her boyfriend. I didn't put it together until I saw you here—_who _she thought was her boyfriend—and who the long-haired f—uh—who 'stole' him."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Duo didn't steal me. I was never Relena's boyfriend, and never wanted to be."

"Yeah," Reggie said with a vague smirk. "I figured she might have a slightly skewed perspective. I mean, it's not like you can suddenly _become_ gay. And when I had to take her to her senior prom 'cause she couldn't get a date, I pretty much knew the guy she'd talked about since grade school wasn't her boyfriend after all."

Heero favored him with a piercing gaze. "Hn. Maybe you're smarter than you act."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that when you harass Duo, you look like an idiot," came the blunt reply. "Think about that." Heero pulled out the next set of outlines. "Meanwhile, let's start on quantum theory, shall we?"

Reggie sputtered for a moment and then gave up and settled in to resume their study session.

* * *

While the four boys from boot camp were finding their own diversions on a Friday night, Captain Chang was still in his office, hard at work. He'd agreed to go out with Zechs the next night, and wanted to be sure there was no backlog of work he'd feel guilty about leaving behind.

But as he read and re-read the reports coming in from colonial shuttle ports, he was regretting his decision. The news was ominous.

It seemed there was increasing friction between the local port unions and the crews of the shuttles delivering supplies and merchandise. The Earth shuttles had been bringing their own people to offload cargo, rather than allowing the old practice of having the crews on site do it. They claimed it was a "liability" issue—that for safety reasons, they wanted to be in control of the cargo until it was firmly settled in the shuttle bay.

Wufei snorted at that; it was obviously an attempt to undermine the colony's economy by denying work to their people.

In retaliation, the port authorities refused to let the ship's crew conduct any loading of material being sent out from the colony, citing the same issue. But going one step further, they wouldn't allow refueling by anyone other than their ground crews. And if a ship's captain insisted on his own maintenance people performing what had traditionally been their task, the ship was subject to being turned away without fuel at all.

What had begun as a small feud on an L2 outpost was turning into a colony-wide problem. More and more shuttles were making emergency stops for fuel at those colonies not participating in the quarrel—and that was putting a strain on their supplies.

It had progressed to a point where captains of transport vessels were refusing service to any colony that wouldn't promise them refueling rights.

While there were a number of Alliance craft patrolling the shipping lanes and helping out stranded shuttles, the problem was growing at an alarming rate, and soon there wouldn't be enough to go around.

Already the instances of piracy had increased; opportunistic buccaneers had jumped at the chance to strike while Alliance ships were overtaxed on rescue operations. It was a tense and touchy situation, liable to explode at any time.

And while the diplomats were frantically trying to come to terms, there was little headway being made, since each colony only had one governor to represent them in the Assembly—while the Earth owned the positions of Prime Minister, Vice Prime Minister, Secretary, Treasurer, and Governing Council. It was an obvious imbalance of power—yet the colonies lacked the voice to change it—and their resentment grew.

"I'm too old for this shit," Wufei sighed, dropping the last report into the proper file folder.

He ran a hand back through the wisps of hair that had escaped his ponytail, and looked through the blinds of his window at the dark landscape, deciding that he needed to get outside and clear his mind of the troubling burden it carried these days.

Moments later he was walking through the campus with a firm, purposeful stride, taking deep, soothing breaths of the fresh air.

Of course, his thoughts then turned to his four favorite students, and he wondered what they were up to this evening. He was tempted to stop by Duo's dorm, but he suspected he'd be interrupting something intimate if he did. And while he teased and joked with the boy about dating Heero, he certainly wasn't opposed to it at all. On the contrary, having Heero for a boyfriend seemed to have settled the boy from L2 down a bit, and given him extra purpose and focus.

And Heero had gained from the relationship, too…sort of a classic case of the two of them being more than the sum of their parts.

Hell, that theory had worked with all of Team Wing, for that matter. Together those four boys were capable of much more than simply their combined skills. They seemed to bring out extra qualities in each other.

And just like that, Wufei found himself smiling, his worries drifting into the background as he felt a rush of satisfaction over the way the boot camp program had turned juvenile delinquents into young men he was proud to know. It had been a truly eye-opening experience for them all.

"Chang?"

He stopped in his tracks, surprised that anyone had approached without his knowledge. "Yuy?"

Heero smirked, apparently realizing he'd surprised his friend. "You were a million miles away there, weren't you? I said your name twice."

"Ah, yes," admitted the officer. "I was deep in thought." He gave a slight shrug, as Heero fell in step beside him and they continued walking. "After a long evening of depressing paperwork, I came out here to clear my head."

"Me, too," Heero told him.

Wufei raised an eyebrow, and then glanced around, realizing Duo wasn't with the Japanese boy. "Homework?" he asked in surprise. "I'd have thought you'd be corrupting the morals of my court-appointed son."

A grimace crossed Heero's face, and Wufei frowned in response. "Did you two have a falling out?"

"Kind of." Heero gave a shrug of his own. "I sort of stood him up tonight. We were supposed to be—spending time together."

Wufei rolled his eyes, reading between the lines, and knowing exactly what they'd _planned _to do.

"But one of my instructors asked me to tutor another student. And since I've got plans tomorrow, and he's busy all day Sunday, tonight was really the best time."

"I see." And Wufei really _did _see. He knew that Duo wouldn't have taken kindly to being pushed aside for schoolwork.

"Duo was a bit—put out about it."

"Pissed off, you mean?"

"Yeah, that."

"He's got to learn that training comes first, Yuy."

Heero shifted uncomfortably. "It's not so much that he was pissed about the tutoring, Wufei. He was more upset by _who _I was tutoring." At Chang's raised eyebrow, Heero sighed and continued. "Reggie Darlian."

"Oh."

"He's a football star—and Relena's cousin."

"I _know_ who he is, Heero," Wufei pointed out. "He's a fine athlete and a top-notch student, in spite of a bit of a superiority complex." The captain gave a small smile. "I know every student in this facility. I know their grades, and I've read their trainers' evaluations of them. I could probably tell you more about Darlian than you already think you know."

"I'm sure you could."

"I heard he got into astrophysics by retaking the exam. I'd assume that's the subject you were asked to help him with—since he excels in his other classes."

Heero just sighed and nodded.

"What I don't know is why Duo had a problem with you tutoring _him_ specifically."

"Aside from the fact that he knows Reggie is Relena's cousin, Duo's had a couple of—unpleasant conversations with him."

"Unpleasant in what way?"

"I guess they met at check-in, and Reggie's cocky attitude annoyed Duo. Then we played a little touch football with him and his team and got thoroughly creamed." Heero threw his hands to the side in a gesture of helplessness. "It just went downhill from there."

"I can imagine."

"When Reggie came up to me in the quad tonight, Duo flew off the handle and took off to go hang out with Quatre and Trowa." A frown settled on Heero's brow. "I'm trying to figure out how to smooth things over with him."

"I'm not sure you need to. He's got to put aside his personal feelings at times and understand that there are more important things in the world. Your training is paramount."

"Don't get me wrong, 'Fei. Duo's taking our schooling very seriously. It's just, I'd promised him some private time, and I reneged. And to make it worse, I didn't mention it until kind of the last minute. He has a right to be mad."

"Well, maybe for a little while." Wufei laid a soothing hand on his friend's shoulder. "You know he's probably cooled off by now. Why don't you go look for him and see if he's ready to make up?"

"I _did _look for him. There was no answer at his dorm, and when I went to knock on Quatre's—." He blushed a deep pink. "Well, let's just say, considering the noises I overheard, I really _hope _it was just him and Trowa, and that Duo wasn't there. It'd be pretty fucking awkward otherwise."

Wufei blushed a bit as well.

"Besides," Heero went on. "It's past midnight, Chang. Duo's probably in his room asleep and just didn't hear my knock."

Wufei snorted wryly. "Seriously? It's the first weekend at the Academy. No one sleeps." He gave a tiny, smug smirk. "As a matter of fact, most of the boys go off-campus for entertainment—movies, or a local nightclub." He waggled his eyebrows mischievously. "I've got spies everywhere, who monitor each move our cadets make. We tolerate only so much misbehavior."

He tightened his grip a little, giving a small shake. "Go find him at whatever card game or party he's scared up. Apologize and kiss and make up." A faint frown creased his forehead. "Take advantage of whatever time you have, Yuy."

Heero did a double take, worried by the undercurrent in Chang's voice. "Wufei?"

The hand dropped from his shoulder and Wufei looked away, frustrated that he was so easy for Heero to read.

"Talk to me, 'Fei," Heero said flatly.

Wufei shook his head. "I'd rather not. You don't need the burden of added worry—."

"I've already got it. If you're troubled by something, as your friend, so am I." Heero fixed a searching look on him. "What's up?"

"Just—more of the same, really," Wufei admitted. "Tension between the colonies and Earth—a breakdown of diplomacy—conflicts at shuttle ports and an increase in interstellar piracy—."

Heero sucked in a sharp breath. "That's a recipe for chaos, Chang."

"It's a recipe for war," agreed his friend.

"It could happen at any time," Heero noted. "In an instant. Couldn't it?"

Wufei nodded, but then turned a stern look on the Japanese boy. "It doesn't mean it _will_," he insisted.

"You don't believe that any more than I do."

Wufei shook his head. "But I don't want you to dwell on it, Heero. Don't let the threat of war darken your life any sooner than it has to."

"It's already done that," Heero said grimly. "It's put a weight on your shoulders and a shadow over us all. It feels like there's a clock ticking somewhere and time's running out."

"All the more reason to put it out of your mind and go make up with your lover," Wufei pointed out. "You can't change what will happen. Instead, you must continue on with your life until it does. Don't waste time worrying." A faint smile touched his lips. "I do enough of that for both of us."

Heero nodded, absorbing the information he'd learned; then he looked curiously at his companion. "Are you gonna take your own advice?"

"Yes," came the firm reply. "As a matter of fact, I've got plans with Zechs tomorrow evening. And I fully intend to leave my worries here at the base, while I enjoy his company." His lips twitched in a genuine smile. "Is that acceptable?"

"Perfect," Heero smiled back.

"So—now that we've established that neither you, nor I, will dwell on this any more tonight—why don't you go beg your boyfriend's forgiveness?"

Heero gave a mock scowl. "I don't beg, Chang."

Wufei laughed. "I think I heard you say that before—and yet I'm all too aware of what lengths you'd go to for the boy."

The dark blue eyes narrowed. "Just wait, Chang. Your time will come," he said ominously.

"Meaning?"

"Sooner or later, you'll know exactly how this feels." He lightened his words with a grin. "I'd bet on sooner."

Wufei gave a skeptical snort and with a dismissive wave of his hand, turned aside to head for the gym, fully intending to exhaust himself with some katas before turning in for the night. "Off you go, Yuy! Enjoy the groveling."

"And the makeup sex?" Heero shot back.

Then his eyes widened. Oh yes! He'd almost forgotten the best part of making up with Duo. And just as quickly, he turned and set off at a brisk walk.

* * *

It was well after midnight when Lex pulled his car into the parking lot of the MSC Academy, and the group of boys tumbled out, laughing about their adventure in town.

"—can't believe your luck at pool," Cooper was saying with a glare at Duo.

"Not luck. Skill," Duo asserted.

"Yeah, well—whatever it is, I'm never playin' against you again."

"Hey—that gives me an idea," Rev spoke up. "The local boys weren't there tonight."

"So?" Cooper asked.

"So they don't know how phenomenally well Duo plays—."

Coop's eyes took on a shifty gleam. "Are you suggesting we set 'em up?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

When both boys looked at him, Duo shook his head. "Don't be getting ideas, fellas. I don't wanna start trouble by hustling the locals. As a matter of fact, I probably won't be going back to The Hangar any time soon. I'll be too busy working on term papers and memorizing mobile suit specs. And so will you."

"Yeah, but we could squeeze in a little fun, right?" Cooper pleaded.

Duo gestured to the damp stain on the front of his shirt. "Y'call this fun? Some big oaf tripping over his own feet spilled half a damned beer on me. I've been freezing ever since!"

Rev elbowed him conspiratorially. "But before that, you were having a great time, weren't you?"

The braided boy shrugged and then nodded. "Yeah, I s'pose so. It was nice to just hang out and shoot some pool. You guys are great."

"So, next time we slip away, you can be our secret weapon."

"Next time," Duo agreed, knowing they weren't likely to find the time in the near future. "But meanwhile, I'm gonna call it a night. I desperately need a shower and a change of clothes." A wide yawn split his face. "Plus a good night's sleep," he added, smiling at his companions. "Thanks for a good time, though—and buying all the drinks."

"Any time," Rev said with a grin. "See ya later, Maxwell."

They parted ways, and Duo headed for his dorm, intent on ridding himself of the soggy shirt and then maybe falling face down on the bed. He stumbled wearily into his room, closing the door behind him and tossing the key onto his dresser without even bothering to turn on a light. Plunking himself down on the edge of his bed, he started to unlace his boots.

"Duo—?" came a half-awake and hoarse voice.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, leaping to his feet and whirling to see Heero stretched out on the bed, his hair disheveled and his clothes rumpled from sleep.

"Jesus, 'Ro! You've got to quit surprising me like this! I mean, not that it isn't a totally awesome surprise…but you took another five years off my life. At this rate I'll die of old age before I reach thirty."

"Got finished early enough that I thought I'd come see you," Heero said quietly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "When you weren't here, I decided to wait; I didn't like the way we parted company before."

"Me neither," Duo admitted, sliding closer and leaning in to steal a brief, warm kiss.

Heero sniffed the air as their lips parted. "What the heck? You smell like a brewery, Maxwell." His blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Have you been drinking?"

"No!" Duo asserted. "A few of the guys and I went to The Hangar and some klutz spilled a beer on me."

"You went to The Hangar?" Heero demanded.

"Yeah—Rev and Cooper—."

"That's a bar, Maxwell! An off-campus bar. And you're under age."

"Yeah, I know. But if you have a military i.d. they don't seem to care."

"I care! Did you not read the rule book?" Heero was referring to the Academy handbook, which had rather detailed regulations about military decorum and behavior. It specifically forbade under age drinking, as well as a number of other typical teen behaviors.

"As a matter of fact," Duo replied coolly, pulling away and starting to unbutton his shirt. "I did _not _read the damned rule book. I've been too busy studying the _important _stuff." He glanced over his shoulder. "Y'mean to tell me with astrophysics on your plate you had time to read all that shit?"

"Duo—." Heero's tone carried a sternness that his lover knew all too well.

The braided boy spun to regard him with a scathing glare. "Don't 'Duo' me, Yuy! You blew me off for your pal Reggie tonight. I'm not gonna listen to you lecture me for finding other entertainment. So I went to a bar! So what? All the kids do it—and you can bet your ass that Chang and Merquise know they do! As long as I wasn't drinking, I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal is that after all we went through at boot camp, you're willing to risk your position here at the Academy so you can go party with your new friends!" Heero shot back.

"I wasn't risking anything, Yuy—except maybe my lungs, considering how much smoke there was in that place."

"And that's another thing! You stink to high heavens. Between the beer you say you didn't drink, and the smell of stale cigarette smoke in your hair—!"

"The beer I _say _I didn't drink?" Duo echoed. "I didn't! And you know fucking well I don't lie."

"Except to someone who pisses you off enough," Heero said snidely.

Duo gaped at him. "What?"

"You lied to Khushrenada."

"I fucked with his head," Duo retorted. "That's all."

"You lied."

"He didn't fucking deserve the truth!" Duo snapped, eyes a little wild at the mention of the hated warden. "All I did by teasing him about making it up was put doubt into his mind. But I told him the truth first—and what the _fuck_ does this have to do with tonight?"

"It has to do with you making everything into a game!" Heero retorted. "Khushrenada fucked you over, and so you did it right back to him the first chance you got. I pissed you off by postponing our date, and you went out drinking just to get even with me!"

"I didn't go drinking. I went out to play some pool and hang out with my friends."

"So you say."

Duo straightened, his eyes dark with anger. "Don't you dare accuse me of lying, Yuy!" He pointed a shaking finger at his lover. "If anyone lied, it was you—not telling me who you were going to spend tonight with."

"Because I knew you'd react like this—and go out and do something stupid!"

"I didn't _do _anything. I just found a way to occupy the time I thought I was going to get to spend with you."

"You risked your position at this Academy—just to spite me."

"Get over yourself, Yuy. I wouldn't throw away my training here just because you stood me up. You're not _that _indispensable."

Heero pushed off of the bed and headed for the door. "Fine then, Maxwell. I won't take up any more of your time. I certainly wouldn't want to get in the way of your training."

"Why should you? You made it clear enough I wouldn't get in the way of yours!" Duo glared after his lover, arms crossed over his chest. "Don't let the fucking door hit you in the ass on the way out!"

It wasn't until the door slammed behind him and he was storming down the hall that Heero's temper began to cool and he realized what he'd just done. But it was too late to go back and try to make amends, when he was fairly certain Duo wouldn't even let him in.

"Fuck." He stopped outside in the cool air of the quad, rubbing a hand over his eyes, and trying to figure out when and how he'd let his temper get the best of him. After spending the early part of his evening defending Duo to Reginald, he'd turned right around and lashed out at the boy he loved. And he wasn't even sure why.

Back in the dorm, Duo stripped down to his boxers, cursing non-stop in a bitter undertone. How had his delight at finding his lover waiting in his room turned into such a mess? He pulled the tie out of his braid, wrinkling his nose at the smell of stale smoke even as he headed for the shower.

What gave Heero the right to tell him what to do with his time, anyway? After standing him up, how did the Japanese boy figure he could lecture him on how he spent the night? And where had the bit about Khushrenada come from?

Duo paused in the doorway to the bathroom, running his hands back through his hair and resting his forehead on the jamb. "Damn it, 'Ro—all I wanted was to be with you tonight."

* * *

But while a wide rift lay between Duo and Heero, Quatre and Trowa were about as close together as they could get, the auburn-haired boy buried deep in his lover's body.

"God—almost there—," Quatre panted, eyes half-closed in pleasure and wisps of blonde hair clinging to his sweaty forehead. "Oh! Again—do that again—!"

Trowa obliged him, tightening the sheath of his hand on Quatre's penis and thrusting harder, aiming unerringly for his prostate.

"Ahhh!" Quatre convulsed suddenly, spilling over Trowa's hand and his own chest, his internal spasming drawing his lover along with him.

"Oh fuck—," Trowa gasped, throwing back his head and closing his eyes as he found his own completion.

"Mmm." Quatre relaxed, savoring both the feeling of heat filling him and the fading pleasure of his orgasm. "Wow," he breathed.

"That's my line," Trowa panted, leaning in to kiss Quatre deeply and completely. "You are—incredible."

A rosy blush added to the pink of exertion on Quatre's cheeks, but he gave a shy smile. "And you're everything to me—my heart—my love."

It was Trowa's turn to blush, and he dropped his head to feather soft kisses along Quatre's sweaty collarbone.

"You know how much I love you, right?" Quatre asked, a hesitation in his tone.

Trowa looked up with a faint frown. "Of course I do—and I love you just as much."

He caught a glimmer of worry in the blue eyes, and his expression turned very serious. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"Just—I guess I'm a little insecure sometimes," Quatre hedged.

But his shrewd lover knew exactly what he was talking about. "Is this about Fox saying he'd try to get me into the ordnance program?"

Quatre's sideways glance wasn't quick enough to hide his response.

"Look at me, love."

He looked up into the deep green eyes that were so filled with determination and passion it was impossible to deny.

"You are the only man in my life—the only one I've _ever_ said I loved. No one is going to change that. Not Fox—not anyone."

"But if you want to work with the dogs—."

"—with the dogs," Trowa echoed. "Not with the guy who introduced me to them. I don't even know if he swings our way, and frankly, I don't care. _You _are the one I love. And I'll keep saying it until I get it through your thick head—understand?"

"Yeah," Quatre sighed, the last of his fears slipping away as he gazed into those earnest eyes.

"Now—where was I?" Trowa said with a hint of a smirk touching the corners of his mouth. He resumed his teasing kisses along his lover's chest, savoring the taste of his skin and sweat as he worked his way to a tender nipple.

"Oh yes," murmured the blonde. "You are _so _good at this. Those lips—feels like I'm on fire—."

Trowa brought those lips back to Quatre's mouth, kissing him again, only harder. "Keep talking like that, and I'll be ready to go again—."

Quatre grinned into the kiss. "I certainly hope so—."


	14. R&R

Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence

Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6

A/N: The "some people just shouldn't be in retail" line totally belongs to waterlilylf. She was visiting me some time ago, and I wanted to show her my favorite local antique shop. But we got there just moments before closing time, and the clerk was rude as could be, telling us she'd closed out the register and we couldn't buy anything. She barely even let us look around for a minute. And as I stewed about it later, out waterlily came with the quote I gave Quatre in this chapter.

THE ACADEMY

Chapter Thirteen: R&R

Quatre picked up on the tension between Duo and Heero before they even sat down to breakfast in the commissary the next morning. The two boys were miles apart in the chow line, studiously not looking at one another.

He frowned, the Trowa-induced euphoric high he'd been on slipping quickly away. "What the—?"

Trowa glanced at him quizzically, and then followed his gaze to their friends. "Well _that _doesn't look good."

"I don't understand," Quatre huffed. "I thought Duo was done being annoyed with Heero. He seemed to have dealt with it when we talked to him last night." He looked searchingly at Trowa. "Didn't he?"

"I thought so," his lover concurred.

"Then what's wrong with them now?" came the rather plaintive query.

Trowa shrugged.

"Maybe we should've kept Duo with us—," Quatre mused, beginning to feel like they'd somehow exacerbated the situation.

"I'm glad we didn't," Trowa replied fervently, recalling how their evening had ended—or actually turned into an all-night. Duo's presence would have prevented that very pleasurable conclusion.

Quatre frowned, looking at Duo, who'd left the food line and found a table at which to sit, and Heero who was still standing indecisively scanning the room for an empty seat in the opposite direction.

"Y'know what?" Trowa asked, standing close enough to rub shoulders with his lover. "Just pretend nothing's wrong and give 'em time to sort it out."

"But we're leaving right after breakfast for our day trip," Quatre pointed out. "Unless they're going to refuse to come—."

"That's not an option," Trowa insisted. "Not after all the planning you've done. Just follow my lead…"

He led the way over to Heero, acting like nothing was wrong, and hoping the Japanese boy would go along with it. "C'mon, Yuy. Your eggs will get cold."

Heero gave him an annoyed look, but trudged over to the table, sitting at the seat farthest away from Duo. Quatre and Trowa took seats in between the other two, still pretending they hadn't noticed the very palpable tension.

"So—right after breakfast, I'll get the convertible and pick you guys up in the lot closest to the dorms, okay?" Quatre asked brightly. "Wear comfy clothes and bring something to change into for the beach, in case we want to go in the water. We can do that before the clothes shopping, to let off some steam and relax a bit."

"Sounds fine," Trowa agreed, his narrow look daring Heero to disagree.

Duo turned away from poking listlessly at his eggs and opened his mouth—but closed it again when he saw the pleading look in Quatre's shimmering eyes.

"Actually—," Heero began, leaning to look around Trowa.

Quatre turned the devastating expression on him. "What, Heero?"

Heero's jaw snapped shut so abruptly it was audible. "Um—nothing," he mumbled.

Quatre beamed, turning back to Duo. "I've been looking forward to this _all week_," he gushed. "We'll finally get away for a few hours—just the four of us—free of boot camp, and rules and regulations—friends having a wonderful road trip together."

"Wonderful," Duo muttered, picking up his coffee and downing it in a few gulps.

"Wait until you see the restaurant I picked," Quatre chattered on, looking back over at Heero, who was shoveling his breakfast into his mouth with sullen determination. "It's right on the water. I've heard the views are spectacular."

Trowa elbowed him teasingly, playing along with his attempt to lighten the mood. "Not as spectacular as you," he insisted. "Last night was—." He broke off with a smirk.

Heero turned an interesting shade of pink, his attention fixing even more firmly on his disappearing meal.

Duo made a fake gagging sound, drawn out of his sulk by the other boys' efforts. "Don't need _that_ much sugar in the morning, Barton. Wanna tone it down a bit?"

"This from the one who thought Quat was inviting him to a threesome?" Trowa teased.

It was Duo's turn to blush, while Heero raised his eyes from his food to fix a puzzled look on Quatre.

Quatre smiled benevolently. "It was a misunderstanding," he explained politely. "I worded something rather badly, and Duo got the wrong impression."

At the mention of Duo's name, Heero looked away again, shrugging one shoulder in a "who gives a shit" gesture.

Deciding that the sooner they got on the road, the sooner the tension might dissipate, both Quatre and Trowa ate quickly—keeping up the lighthearted banter until it was time to leave.

When breakfast was over, Duo and Heero both left like shots, while the others exchanged a long look.

"It'll be okay," Trowa tried to reassure his lover, as they headed towards his dorm to pick up spare clothing and the keys to the car. "Once we get them out of here, you can do your magic and get them talking. They'll work out whatever their problem is in no time."

"I hope so, or it'll ruin the whole day," sighed the blonde. He looked in the direction the others had gone. "What if they don't even show up?"

"We'll drag them," Trowa promised. "But don't worry; they'll come. You used your secret weapon on them, love. They didn't stand a chance."

Quatre gave a small, smug grin. "So, I've still got it, hm?"

"Always," Trowa assured him, stealing a kiss while they were in between two buildings and out of sight of the rest of the world.

He pulled back and gave a soulful look of his own. "Can I drive again?"

* * *

An hour later, the top was down on Quatre's convertible, and the wind was whipping through Trowa's bangs as he drove them up the coast under a sunny sky.

Duo and Heero were in the back seat, pointedly looking anywhere but at each other, and Quatre was sulking in the passenger seat, having had no luck trying to get information out of either of them.

At this rate, it was going to be a long, long day.

Trowa turned up the radio a bit, surfing through stations to find some good, upbeat music, though his occasional glances towards Quatre's somber face showed his concern.

When he couldn't take it any longer, he pulled the car abruptly to the curb, and shut off the engine, leaning an arm across the back of the seat and leveling a glare at both boys.

"Okay. I don't care what the problem is. I don't care who fucked over who this time—or who's right or wrong. I don't care if you fuckin' hate each other! But you will _not _spoil this day for Quatre! Do you fucking _hear _me?"

Two sets of eyes stared up at him in awe, and two jaws went a little slack.

"Trowa—," Quatre said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "It's okay. You can't _make_ them get along—."

Green eyes turned a pained look his way. "But you've spent all week scheming and planning and trying to dream up a perfect day for us all," he protested. "You don't deserve to have your fun ruined by these two selfish assholes!"

His stern look turned back to the boys behind him. "If we weren't so far from the Academy, I'd fuckin' throw you both out and tell you to walk back while Quatre and I enjoy ourselves. Hell, the exercise would probably do you some good—and being alone would give you a chance to sort out whatever petty-assed differences you've come up with _this _time!"

"Trowa!" Quatre scolded. "It's fifteen miles back to the school!"

"I know, or they'd already be walking." Trowa narrowed his eyes viciously. "And actually, the shape you two are in—fifteen miles would be a cakewalk."

Duo's glance darted from Trowa to Quatre, as if asking whether the blonde would let Trowa carry out his threat.

"It's—my fault," Heero said grudgingly. "I ducked out of our date, and then got mad when Duo went off without me to have fun with his friends."

Quatre's aquamarine eyes caught Duo's, and his eyebrows came together in a frown.

The indigo gaze dropped first, and Duo breathed a gusty sigh. "'S not just 'Ro," he admitted. "I _did _go off with Rev and Cooper out of spite mostly. I wouldn't have gone to a bar on my own." He raised his eyes to Heero's face finally. "But when you thought I'd been drinking—that was way out of line, Yuy."

"I—I know," Heero agreed. "I should've trusted you. I was just so frustrated at the way the whole evening went—having to disappoint you, and then having you get so pissed when you found out it was Darlian I had to tutor. I wanted it to be your fault; not mine. I wanted to think you overreacted and that what you did was just as wrong as I was for breaking our date to begin with."

"Maybe it was," Duo conceded. "I could've gone back to my dorm and studied, or just hung out and read a book or something. I didn't have to go off the campus looking for entertainment. And even if I didn't drink, I was under age for being in a bar. Then when that jerk spilled beer all over me—it was like I was getting what I deserved for being there in the first place. I got mad at you, because if you'd kept our date, I wouldn't even have been there—."

"You're right, which makes it my fault," Heero insisted. "And I should never have accused you of lying about drinking. I _know_ better. I know you don't lie. Unlike the way I lied about tutoring Reggie—."

"You didn't lie. You omitted," Duo pointed out. "And—maybe you were right to. I mean, obviously it _would _have upset me. Trowa was right; there was just no way you could win, whether you told me everything or not—."

"But I should have. I should have just been honest and up front with you. You're my lover, after all. And I owe you that much—."

"What about what I owe you?" Duo countered. "You've been nothing but supportive from the start since we got to the Academy. I had no reason to jump down your throat just because we had to wait a little longer for our private time—."

"You shouldn't have had to wait. You've already waited so long—."

"For fuck's sake!" Trowa blurted, rolling his eyes. "Would you just fucking kiss and make up already?"

Duo threw himself into Heero's waiting arms, winding his around the Japanese boy's neck and kissing him deeply and thoroughly.

Quatre smiled warmly at Trowa, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "You are—superb," he said in a husky whisper. "I love you Trowa Barton."

Trowa blushed scarlet, ducking his head, only to have his chin caught in a firm grip and his face turned so Quatre could kiss him soundly on the lips.

"Love you, too," he whispered when their lips parted.

"Now—how 'bout we get back to enjoying our perfect day?" Quatre asked, practically beaming with happiness.

Trowa glanced at the back seat again, his eyebrows rising at the sight of the two boys still kissing, with arms and legs entwined and hands beginning to wander under clothing. "Uhm—when I told them to kiss and make up—I wasn't expecting full-on sex in the back seat—."

Quatre looked too, blushing and turning back around to face the front. "Just drive, Trowa," he suggested, and was rewarded by the roar of the engine starting up and the car resuming forward motion. Without looking in the back seat again, he added, "Don't you two even _think _of making a mess of the upholstery back there!"

He heard a husky chuckle, and then Duo's teasing voice. "I'll be sure to swallow."

"Oh holy shit," he groaned, clapping a hand over his eyes.

Trowa's hearty laugh made him look over to see his lover truly amused, his hair blown back by the wind and an absolutely carefree and joyous look on his face. "Aw, give it up, love," said the auburn-haired boy. "You'll never out-crude Maxwell."

"Allah, I hope not!" came his fervent reply.

And so they made their way up the coast road, once again at peace with one another and the world.

* * *

When, nearly an hour later, they pulled into the parking area at the beach, Duo looked up from necking with Heero, and his eyes widened. "Wow! So that's a beach—."

Quatre turned around with a questioning look before realization dawned. "That's right! You've never seen one!"

"Nope. Not a lotta scenery on L2—an' even if there was, it wouldn't have been on my side of the tracks." He let his gaze drift out across the wide expanse of water. "It's pretty."

"Pretty?" Heero asked, sounding a bit amused.

"Yeah."

"Not spectacular?"

Duo smirked at him, eyes twinkling. "Yuy—I save the word 'spectacular' for things like mobile suit piloting, the Perseid showers from close up, the view of the Horsehead Nebula from the shuttle to L2—." He studied the deep blue eyes of his lover. "Or your eyes," he added a little breathlessly.

With a pleased little smirk, Heero swooped in for another kiss, pressing Duo up against the back of the seat and all but crawling into his lap.

"Jeeze—get a room!" Trowa growled, getting out of the car and stretching lazily.

"Mmm…nope…gonna christen Quatre's seats instead," Duo murmured between kisses.

"Duo!" squeaked the blonde, glaring over the back seat. "Don't you dare!"

Heero sat back, chuckling, and Duo straightened his shirt. "Aw chill out, man. They're leather—they'll wash off just fine."

Heero tugged at his hand, ignoring Quatre's sputtering. "Let's go, Maxwell. I'm sure we can find a more private spot somewhere down the beach. Wanna feel sand between your toes?"

"—and other places?" smirked Duo.

"We've only got a couple of hours," Quatre reminded them with a bit of a whine. "How about we all take a walk and maybe play some volleyball or catch?"

"I know what I wanna catch," Duo said in a husky voice, eyes locked on Heero's.

Heero looked back steadily. "Later, love," he said in a warm tone. "We've got all day, and no matter how late we get back to base, we can spend the rest of the night in your bed." He pushed the ruffled bangs back from Duo's face. "If I'm still welcome there?"

"Always," Duo asserted, once again plastering himself against his lover.

Trowa rolled his eyes. "I liked them better when they were fighting," he told Quatre flatly, picking up a volleyball from the gear in the trunk and heading for the sand.

"I think I did too," Quatre sighed, shaking his head and following.

In spite of their teasing and flirting, Heero and Duo did manage to pull themselves apart long enough to play some games with the other two on the beach, and take a walk in the surf.

Duo was like a kid exploring the ocean for the first time, following the waves as they retreated, and then running from them as they rushed in around his ankles. He delighted in the foam and the sparkling water, his cheeks flushed with excitement and his eyes alight.

Quatre joined him for awhile, while Heero and Trowa hung back, watching them frolic.

"Gorgeous, aren't they?" Trowa commented, picking up a piece of driftwood and dragging it along in the sand as they walked.

Heero nodded, unable to stop smiling. "They practically glow."

"What do you suppose they see in us?" Trowa sighed.

While his question was half in jest, Heero's answer wasn't. "I think they see someone who loves them more than anything in the world—someone who'd gladly give anything they asked for, if it lay in his power. Someone who'd die for them, and not regret it."

Trowa stopped, gawking at the sudden poetic turn of phrase. "Shit, Yuy—what've you been reading?" he demanded.

Heero turned to face him, and shook his head. "Not reading. Just listening—to Wufei, actually."

"Chang talks like that?"

"No—but he makes me think about things," Heero admitted with a shrug, resuming his walk so he didn't have to look at Trowa.

"What kind of things?" pressed the other boy, his tone too intense to be ignored.

"The past—the future—how much Duo means to me, and what I'd give up for him." He kept his gaze on the two boys further up the beach, now kicking water at one another as they ran in the waves. "I guess he makes me appreciate how important it is to savor every moment we have together."

They walked on in silence for a bit, and then Trowa spoke again. "I take it things are getting worse on the colonies."

Not wanting to betray a confidence, Heero just gave a noncommittal grunt.

"I listen to the news reports, Yuy."

Heero looked sharply at him. "Since when?"

"Always. Just because I don't talk about it much, doesn't mean I'm unaware of what's happening out there. Broadcasters have been babbling about increases in docking fees and possible boycotts of shuttle flights. There's a lot of shit going on out there—and if your attitude is any indication, Chang's implied that the tension is close to becoming critical."

Heero gave him an almost accusing glare. "I thought you had your head buried in books and the kennels! Or that you were so smitten with Winner that you couldn't see beyond the life you share at the Academy."

"It's because I'm 'smitten with him,' as you put it, that I care what's going on in the solar system," Trowa explained. "Quatre's got a sweet, gentle soul, Heero. And I don't even want to contemplate what a war would do to him. If there were a way to protect him from it, I'd do whatever it took." He gave a small shrug. "Since there's not, all I can do is make the best of our time together and hope we can learn enough to get through whatever comes down the road."

Quatre had paused, turning their way and going rather still. Heero was the first to notice, as he saw Duo tug at the blonde's sleeve.

"Barton—."

"Shit," muttered Trowa. "You think he picked up on that?"

"Even I could feel the tension and worry in you," Heero pointed out. "And I'm not an empath."

Trowa gave a lopsided smirk, and bent down to pick up some soggy sand. "Time to lighten the mood then," he said, lobbing the wet mess at Heero without further warning.

Heero ducked, feeling the unpleasant smack of the sand on the back of one shoulder. He turned a glare on his friend, grabbing for some sand of his own. "You're going _down_, Barton!" he swore, taking up the chase as the acrobat fled down the beach, laughing aloud.

The resultant chaos effectively ended their somber mood, and when Duo and Quatre joined in the chase, they all ended up wet, laughing, and exhausted by the time they returned to the car.

* * *

"So," Duo asked, after they'd finished changing in a public restroom and climbing back into the car. "Where are we off to next?"

"The mall," Quatre told him, directing Trowa back to the highway to head for the next destination.

"A mall?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what one is," Trowa chided.

"Naw, I do. We had 'em on L2. But they usually did their best to keep out the street kids. And if any got in, the security guards pretty much trailed 'em non-stop." Duo frowned a little, looking out at the scenery. "They weren't fun places for kids like me."

"Well this one will be," Quatre promised. "No one will know or care where any of us are from. We're dressed in decent clothes, and we know how to behave in public. We'll blend right in."

Duo glanced at Trowa, waiting for a snide comment, but the auburn-haired boy simply glanced over at him and shrugged. "What? Expecting me to tease you about not knowing how to behave?"

"Well, yeah."

"Sorry," came the unrepentant reply. "I know you can behave, Maxwell. Just because you often _don't_—."

"Har har."

But a bit later, as they clambered out of Quatre's car in the mall parking lot, Duo looked around with a vague smile and a rather sly gleam in his eyes.

"Wow—what I would've given for a place like this on L2 back in the day," he sighed, noticing the casual way women held their purses, and the telltale bulges of wallets in hip pockets. "Easy pickings."

"Stop drooling!" Heero scolded. "You gave all that up—remember?"

"Yeah, yeah—I know. I just can't help noticing how _easy _it'd be." He shook his head. "Folks on L2 were a bit more street savvy."

"And law enforcement was a bit more lax," Heero added, nodding towards a mall security officer at the door.

"Hm. He's not even old and fat," Duo commented. "Guess security _is _better here."

They headed into the mall—just a group of teenagers in jeans and combat boots, casual tee shirts and windbreakers—blending nicely into the general population. It felt good for all of them to just do something so normal for their age.

"Just for the record," Duo told Quatre. "I'm not wearin' any fancy-assed suit tonight. Don't even _think _of trying to go overboard on outfits."

"No, I wouldn't," Quatre snipped, sounding a bit offended. "We simply need dress slacks and nice shirts and shoes—no ties or suit coats."

"You're sure?" Heero nudged.

"Okay. Now that's just insulting. Would I question your choice of—well—weapons or something?"

"No."

"Then don't question me about dress codes! I've researched the place online, and they dropped the black tie requirement nearly a year ago."

"How reassuring," Trowa drawled sardonically.

Duo cast a suspicious look at his blonde friend. "Quat—just _how _exclusive _is _the place?"

"I got reservations," Quatre said a bit defensively.

"By using the name 'Winner,' no doubt."

"Well that _is _my name."

Duo rolled his eyes. "God, Quatre—it's a good thing we all love ya so much."

"Yes, it is," came Quatre's decisive answer.

They found themselves in a bright, airy mall, with skylights that let brilliant shafts of sunlight into the walkways. There were fountains and potted plants in the center of the sprawling facility, and other displays dotting the aisled between shops.

Pausing outside a very elegant-looking men's clothing shop, Quatre ran a critical eye over the mannequins in the window. "Yes—this place should have what we need," he concluded, stepping onto the plush rug and strolling towards the counter.

Duo hesitated, looking down at his scuffed combat boots. And then he squared his shoulders and followed, lifting his chin a bit defiantly. Heero and Trowa were right on his heels.

The clerk behind the counter looked up as the boys approached, his smile of greeting fading into a rather frosty grimace. "Are you young men lost?" he asked crisply.

"Not at all," Quatre replied. "We're here to purchase some clothing for a dinner engagement this evening."

The clerk raised a haughty eyebrow. "Indeed. Well, perhaps they could help you at The Gap. It's just down the hall—."

"We need formal wear," Quatre interrupted sharply.

"I'm sure you do," the man sneered, eyeing their clothes contemptuously. "However, your definition of 'formal' is almost certainly not what you'll find in _this _shop. I suggest you amuse yourselves elsewhere—perhaps in a more affordable store."

"Affordable—?" Quatre echoed dangerously. "I assure you; money's no object. And I've already seen samples of your clothing lines in the window. We'd like to do our shopping here."

"And I'd like you to do it elsewhere," shot back the snide clerk.

Quatre drew himself to his full height, such as it was, and stared the clerk in the eye. "I should like very much to speak to your manager, if you please."

"Well, I don't." The haughty clerk's lip curled in a sneer. "Mister Barnes is far too busy for childish nonsense."

"Tell him Quatre _Winner _would like a moment of his time," came the cool response, as Quatre slipped his driver's license and credit card from his pocket, holding them out for inspection.

"Winner?" The clerk chuckled dryly, and then actually looked at the license, his self-assurance wavering. He darted a long look at Quatre, and then one over the blonde's shoulder at three sets of identical glares.

Just then, a tall, impeccably-dressed man stepped out of the office behind him. "Is there a problem, Jansen?"

"Ah—no sir, Mister Barnes. These young hoodlums were about to leave before I call security."

Quatre turned a chilling look on the store manager, and held out a hand. "Mister Barnes—Quatre _Winner_."

Mister Barnes had the intelligence and good grace to blanch at the drop of Quatre's name. He reached out and took the boy's hand. "The L4 Winner family?" he asked smoothly.

Quatre nodded once.

"How can I help you, young sir?"

The clerk turned in disbelief. "Mister Barnes—surely you don't believe he's actually from _the _Winner family—?"

"Don't you?" Mister Barnes asked curtly.

"No! I mean look at how he's dressed—how they're _all _dressed—and the company he keeps—." He darted a glance at Heero, whose look could have frozen the polar ice caps.

Duo started forward, opening his mouth to launch a barrage of L2 street slang at the snooty clerk, but Quatre's arm went across his chest, holding him back.

"I'll handle this, Duo." Quatre held his identification and credit card out to the manager. "Feel free to run the card and check the limit, Mister Barnes, if you'd like reassurance." He smiled icily. "Of course, if I have to wait long, I may be tempted to take my business—elsewhere."

"I say we do that anyway," Duo growled under his breath.

Mister Barnes shook his head, holding a hand up in denial. "I wouldn't dream of doubting your word, Mister Winner." He glanced at his seething clerk. "Jansen, you're fired."

"But—but—!"

Mister Barnes gestured to a clerk at the back of the store, a smartly-dressed young woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun. "Marissa—come see to these customers!"

Marissa promptly headed their way, smiling warmly, even as Jansen slunk away to make his exit.

Mister Barnes turned to the girl as she reached them. "Marissa, I expect you to do your very best to find these young gentlemen anything they require."

"Certainly sir," she replied promptly.

The manager then gave Quatre a questioning look. "Can I do anything more before leaving you in Marissa's capable hands?"

The blonde boy smiled brightly. "No thank you. I'm sure we'll be well-pleased with the service from now on." He glanced at his friends, all of who looked a bit shell-shocked at the rapid turnabout.

"Whoa—Quat. You are a serious badass sometimes," Duo breathed in awe.

Trowa looked a bit—hot and bothered—as he smiled at his lover. "You're kind of sexy when you get all assertive," he teased.

Quatre blushed, spoiling his whole "badass" image. "I just can't abide rudeness!" he said firmly, glancing at the door Jansen had skulked out of. "Some people just shouldn't be in retail!"

The boys shared a quick chuckle, before Marissa steered them over to an area of plush chairs near the fitting rooms. "If you'd like to get comfortable," she said gesturing them to sit, "you can tell me what sort of clothing you're here to shop for."

Quatre settled into his seat as if taking a throne. "We're going to dinner at _de la Lune_," he told her. "We'd like suitable attire, minus ties and jackets, which I heard were no longer required."

"You heard right," she assured him. "But you might consider lightweight coats or sweaters, as it can be quite breezy on the shore."

He nodded politely. "Let's start with your recommendations on slacks, shoes and shirts, and then see what accessories seem appropriate."

"Very good, sir." She snapped her fingers and another clerk scurried to help her jot down sizes and measurements, as she questioned each boy about his preferences.

When she whipped out a tape measure, Quatre obligingly stood up, allowing her to demonstrate on him, so the others would know what to expect. It was probably a good thing he did, because when the pretty girl moved on to Duo and slipped her arms around his waist to loop the tape measure, Heero tensed and shot her a glare of warning, but didn't step in to protest the familiar gesture.

Duo noticed the look, and smirked teasingly, tolerating the slide of unfamiliar hands down his arms and across his shoulders only because he could see how much it irritated Heero.

But he got his comeuppance when Heero's turn came, and the clerk commented on the broadness of his shoulders and the musculature, as she ran a hand across them. Despite the cool professionalism of her motion, Duo ended up frowning in disapproval, until Heero gave him a devilish grin and wink.

Within a matter of minutes, all four boys had been measured, Marissa had suggested complimentary colors for each, and the other clerk had dashed off to bring some clothing samples.

"Oh, by the way," Quatre told the dark-haired woman. "We won't have time for alterations on any of our purchases. We need them for dinner this evening. Do you think you'll be able to fit us with clothes off the rack?"

"Considering the shape you all are in, it's very likely," she told him. "But if you find something you like that needs a bit of fixing, it could be done in under an hour, while you either wait here, or browse in the mall."

"Excellent," he said with a pleased smile.

Marissa moved off to help the other clerk gather clothing, and Duo looked over at his blonde buddy, shaking his head. "I swear, you're kinda gettin' off on this, aren't ya?"

Quatre gave a conspiratorial grin. "Maybe a little. It was sort of fun to throw the name at that insufferable Jansen fellow. And being treated like this—with courtesy and deference—is just a bit of compensation for the rude greeting we got."

He looked up as Marissa breezed back over to them, laying a deep indigo shirt over one of Duo's shoulders and comparing it to the color of his eyes. "Oh—with your chestnut hair and those incredible eyes—this would look delicious!" she asserted.

Duo blushed and ducked his head, glaring aside at Quatre, who merely laughed in delight. "It would!" he agreed. "But could you bring something in dark blue—for comparison?"

The rest of their afternoon went a bit like a Cinderella story, according to Duo. He said he felt like the scruffy kid from the ashes getting dolled up for a fancy ball—and being treated like royalty along the way.

While Heero and Trowa modeled the clothes selected for them with stoic indifference, Duo would try on whatever the clerk gave him, and saunter out of the dressing room to strike a pose.

Quatre took great delight in his friend's showmanship, as well as the way Duo would cajole everyone into giving a thumbs up or down on each outfit. He did the same when it was Heero, Trowa, or even Quatre doing the modeling—goading the others, who were "spectating," into offering opinions.

When they finally narrowed it down to their top two or three style and color choices, Marissa took over to make comments on the fit or cut of each.

She didn't like the way one outfit "hung" on Trowa—and with Quatre's agreement suggested the same slacks in a different fabric. While her assistant dashed off to find them, she turned her attention to Duo, who'd just stepped out of the dressing room in a pair of pants he'd been reluctant to try on.

The girl ran a practiced gaze down the form-fitting slacks in a way that made Duo blush self-consciously, despite his earlier parading.

"Aren't these a little too—clingy?" he asked, sure that the snug pants hid nothing.

"Not at all!" Heero said appreciatively.

Duo glared at him, only stopping when Marissa tucked two fingers into his waistband to check its fit.

"Is it comfortable?" she asked. "No binding or pinching?"

"Nope," he said quickly, trying not to pull away as she slid her hand down his hip and gave a quick, business-like tug on his inseam.

"And it doesn't ride up in the—?"

"No!" he yelped hastily.

She looked like she was smirking a little as she finished checking the fit. "They're very flattering," she told him frankly. "With the plum shirt, they'd make you look devastating."

Duo cast a helpless look at Quatre, who gave a small shrug. "She's right," he agreed. "If you don't believe me, just ask Heero."

The hungry look in Heero's eyes was more than enough to answer the question before Duo even asked it, and finally the braided boy nodded. "Yeah, I guess these'll do."

Heero headed into the dressing room to don the outfit Marissa had recommended for him, and Duo sidled over beside Quatre. "She grabs Heero the way she did me, an' she's liable to get her hand boken," he pointed out.

Quatre chuckled. "No—if he tolerated her hand on _you_, he'll tolerate it on himself."

"Yeah, but will I?"

"It's just business," Quatre pointed out. "She's not feeling him up—just checking the fit."

"I think that girl likes her job just a little too much, if ya know what I mean," Duo joked.

"Wouldn't you?"

Duo pondered for a moment—and then gave the blonde a teasing leer. "Y'mean, if I got to run a hand up _your_ thigh—?"

"Duo!"

They were both snickering behind their hands as Heero emerged from the changing room in a pair of sleek black slacks that accented both his slender waist and the long, lean muscles of his thighs. A deep blue silk shirt was tucked into them, and made the startling blue of his eyes stand out from under his mop of unruly hair.

"Whoa—," Duo breathed.

Marissa breezed past him, apparently unfazed by the handsome Japanese boy. "Almost perfect," she chirped, reaching and unfastening one more button at the top. "But you can be a little more daring. _De la Lune_ is formal—fashionable—but not stuffy. It's okay to show off your good looks a bit."

Heero slapped her hand away before she could grab the next button. "That's as daring as I intend to get," he said flatly.

She laughed, turning back to Duo and winking. "Maybe you can coax him to open one more."

"I'll damn well try," Duo promised, not even caring that the sharp-eyed clerk had caught on to their relationship.

Quatre elbowed the braided boy gently in the ribs. "Just remember—no ripping the clothes off him later," he warned in an undertone. "Do try to be gentle with them, hm? So we can go out again sometime?"

Duo closed his eyes and gave a very quiet groan, picturing himself peeling Heero out of the too-sexy outfit—knowing how much patience it'd take to do it without sending buttons flying. "I'll try," he sighed.

Trowa was the next one in the changing room, donning a pair of soft suede pants a few shades darker than his hair, and a shirt that almost perfectly matched his eyes. When he emerged, Quatre was as spellbound as Duo had been over Heero—aquamarine eyes going wide with appreciation.

"Oh, that's perfect!" he blurted, not even caring what Marissa's opinion might be. He knew exactly what he liked on his lover—aside from himself, anyway.

"Your turn, blondie," Duo urged, holding out the buff-colored slacks and teal shirt that were almost a paler version of Trowa's colors. "You'll look really good on Tro's arm in this outfit."

Quatre raised an eyebrow, considering. "Hm…you might be right." He took the clothes and went to model them just as the others had, reaching pretty much the same conclusion. They were all gonna look incredibly hot tonight.

It wasn't until they'd made their selections that Duo pointed out to Quatre there were no price tags on anything. He did it discreetly, waiting until Marissa was busy helping Trowa match a belt to his shoes.

"Of course not," Quatre said blandly. "We were shopping for the _right_ clothes—not the cheapest ones in the store."

"Maybe that's what _you _were doing," Duo hissed back in an undertone. "But I was kinda hoping to make sure you didn't go overboard here."

"I didn't," Quatre assured him.

Duo gave him a skeptical look.

"Seriously," Quatre insisted. "Marissa didn't start us with the most expensive clothing lines. She wasn't pushing for a big commission. Your outfit is very much in the middle range for a store like this. In fact, none of us chose anything outrageously pricey. Really."

His earnest tone finally convinced Duo, and though the braided boy knew damned well Quatre was spending more than he'd be totally comfortable with—he also knew how much it meant to him. Besides, he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been comfortable with _any _amount of money Quatre spent. But having agreed to the blonde's master plan, he was honor-bound to enjoy himself. It was the least he could do to show gratitude to his best buddy.

When all was said and done, the boys spent nearly two hours in the clothing store. Between trying things on, choosing suitable outfits, and then accessorizing with shoes, belts and jackets, they found the time flew by.

In fact, they were so short on time, they decided to wear their new clothes and carry their old ones out in the shopping bags—as they'd be heading straight from the mall to the restaurant.

Mister Barnes himself rang them up at the counter, asking if they'd found all they needed and if Marissa had provided satisfactory guidance and advice.

"I assure you," Quatre said warmly, "she was the soul of professionalism. I couldn't have asked for better service, or more suitable clothing selections."

The store manager looked decidedly relieved, as he printed out the receipt for his esteemed customer. "I hope you'll have occasion to shop here again soon," he said graciously. "We truly appreciate your business." He let his gaze sweep all four smartly-dressed young men. "You're welcome back any time."

"Well now _that _was nice," Duo commented as they strolled out into the mall again. "That Mister Barnes is one classy guy."

"As he should be," Quatre sniffed elegantly, smoothing the sleeve of his cashmere jacket. "He's in business to _win_ customers—not alienate them—like that vile Jansen fellow."

"They gonna treat us that nice at your fancy restaurant?" Duo asked, unable to keep from mimicking the gesture on his own sleeve. While he might have protested against wearing silk, he couldn't help but love the way it felt. He had a feeling Heero might like the way it felt, too—and of course that led him to imagining how Heero's hands would feel sliding over the fabric on his skin.

"Duo," Quatre said with a grin, hooking an arm around Trowa's in a possessive gesture as a few mall-goers eyed his handsome boyfriend. "They are going to treat us like royalty—just you wait and see."

He smiled smugly, deliriously happy he could treat his friends to some well-deserved pampering. He was incredibly grateful he'd been able to convince them all, and relieved that Duo and Heero's spat of the night before hadn't prevented their day trip. He truly felt like it was their last chance to celebrate, before their studies became too intense, and the threat of war became too real.


End file.
